So, in my next incubation, I am going to do a little observation experiment. My incubator is going to have mostly turkey eggs, half a dozen silkie eggs, and araucana eggs. Since araucana eggs are the most precious of those, they won't get touched!
I am going to select several eggs, one to two turkey eggs, and one silkie egg after several days of incubation (three for the silkie, five for the turkey). I will choose and egg that has development of veins. I hope to create a window into the eggs to observe development. My gameplan, using clean technique (I do not have the current resources available to use sterile) technique, is to remove a small square of shell (leaving membrane intact of course) on one side of the egg and cover the area with tegaderm, a sterile transparent dressing. If all goes well, then the embryo will be able to be observed throughout the entire incubation. The tegaderm will only be barely wider than the small window, and hopefully will not interfere with the hatching process. During time of non observation (most of the time) the window will be covered with an opaque cover so the light does not cause excessive stress on the developing embryo.
I feel that the window will be a much less dramatic and more successful than attempting shell less incubation. I want them to make it to full term and hatch successfully.
I got the idea from this video, Windowing Chicken Eggs for Developmental Studies . I will not be using the exact method as the video, just similar, in order to create the window.
I am going to select several eggs, one to two turkey eggs, and one silkie egg after several days of incubation (three for the silkie, five for the turkey). I will choose and egg that has development of veins. I hope to create a window into the eggs to observe development. My gameplan, using clean technique (I do not have the current resources available to use sterile) technique, is to remove a small square of shell (leaving membrane intact of course) on one side of the egg and cover the area with tegaderm, a sterile transparent dressing. If all goes well, then the embryo will be able to be observed throughout the entire incubation. The tegaderm will only be barely wider than the small window, and hopefully will not interfere with the hatching process. During time of non observation (most of the time) the window will be covered with an opaque cover so the light does not cause excessive stress on the developing embryo.
I feel that the window will be a much less dramatic and more successful than attempting shell less incubation. I want them to make it to full term and hatch successfully.
I got the idea from this video, Windowing Chicken Eggs for Developmental Studies . I will not be using the exact method as the video, just similar, in order to create the window.
