Dented Eggs..

[KDesautels08]

Hey Guys,

So I'm getting the first eggs of the season, and I had what looked like two fertile eggs first clutch. I generally check my eggs once a week, using hatchrite, this last time I checked my eggs, I noticed that one them is shriveled up and all dented, to the point were it is obviously bad. The other has a small dent, but still could be good. Why did my eggs all of a sudden dent like this, hatch right bag says no water necessary, although I gave it a spray before I put my eggs in.. Why are my eggs denting? If they dent does that automatically mean they're bad?

Any help that could be offered would be greatly appreciated.

 

[acpart]

I don't use hatchrite so it's hard for me to know if that's the problem. Eggs can dent if the humidity is too low, but it seems that properly used hatchrite and a sealed container without holes should solve that problem. Sometimes the eggs aren't fertile and sometimes they are, but the embryo doesn't make it. I've had eggs look great for 8 weeks and then collapse and turn out to be empty. Often I find that early season eggs look OK to begin with but don't work out.

Aliza

 

[KDesautels08]

I don't use hatchrite so it's hard for me to know if that's the problem. Eggs can dent if the humidity is too low, but it seems that properly used hatchrite and a sealed container without holes should solve that problem. Sometimes the eggs aren't fertile and sometimes they are, but the embryo doesn't make it. I've had eggs look great for 8 weeks and then collapse and turn out to be empty. Often I find that early season eggs look OK to begin with but don't work out.

Aliza

Thank you for the reply Aliza, Last season I was using Perlite for the first half of the season with aweful results.. It wasn't until I switched to Hatchrite did I start having eggs hatch. So I do not think that is problem. Maybe whatever made the Hatchrite moist (and "not need water") has dried out since last season.

 

[Neon Aurora]

Just my two cents, I had a lot of trouble with Hatchrite. I decided to try it last season (my first) and my first 4 clutches died except for 1 egg. For me, the problem was the inability to measure the water. Looking back, I couldn't tell you if it was too much or too little moisture that killed most of my eggs. A few hours after putting eggs in the incubator, they would dent. I figured it was too dry, so I added a bit of water. they remained dented and eventually molded. Since I didn't have the dry weight of the stuff, there was so way to know how much water to add.

As soon as I switched to vermiculite with a 1/.8 ratio of vermiculite to water, my eggs started hatching. I got my first clutch of this season 4 days ago, put them straight into carefully measured moist vermiculite and they're looking beautiful. It's so much easier knowing exactly how much water is in there.

 

[acpart]

I use perlite and water and have the SIM, so the eggs are suspended over the substrate rather than being buried in it. I notice you mention that maybe the hatch rite has dried out since last season. Are you using the same hatch rite you had the eggs in last season? I made a terrible mistake with this last season. I re-used my container with the same perlite as last season. Only 1 of my eggs hatched for the first third of the season. I think that there was bacteria in the substrate (even though my eggs didn't touch the substrate) from fluids like yolk that came out of the hatchlings from the previous season. I completely cleaned my egg boxes and replaced the perlite. The rest of the season I had a much higher hatch rate.

Aliza

 

[KDesautels08]

I use perlite and water and have the SIM, so the eggs are suspended over the substrate rather than being buried in it. I notice you mention that maybe the hatch rite has dried out since last season. Are you using the same hatch rite you had the eggs in last season? I made a terrible mistake with this last season. I re-used my container with the same perlite as last season. Only 1 of my eggs hatched for the first third of the season. I think that there was bacteria in the substrate (even though my eggs didn't touch the substrate) from fluids like yolk that came out of the hatchlings from the previous season. I completely cleaned my egg boxes and replaced the perlite. The rest of the season I had a much higher hatch rate.

Aliza

I never reuse any substrate, even if the packaging advertises that you can. When I was talking about the hatchrite drying up, I meant in the bag its in, the bag of hatchrite I am using is a little over a year old now. Hatchrite supposedly "doesn't need water" although I tend to give it a small spray anyway. I was thinking maybe whatever is in the hatchrite that keeps it moist, has dried up since last season.

 

[KDesautels08]

Just my two cents, I had a lot of trouble with Hatchrite. I decided to try it last season (my first) and my first 4 clutches died except for 1 egg. For me, the problem was the inability to measure the water. Looking back, I couldn't tell you if it was too much or too little moisture that killed most of my eggs. A few hours after putting eggs in the incubator, they would dent. I figured it was too dry, so I added a bit of water. they remained dented and eventually molded. Since I didn't have the dry weight of the stuff, there was so way to know how much water to add.

As soon as I switched to vermiculite with a 1/.8 ratio of vermiculite to water, my eggs started hatching. I got my first clutch of this season 4 days ago, put them straight into carefully measured moist vermiculite and they're looking beautiful. It's so much easier knowing exactly how much water is in there.

I had opposite results with hatch rite, I was using Perlite, for over half the season, and had one out of (approximately 20 eggs hatch). As soon as I switch to hatch rite, the majority of the eggs hatched, giving me 10 babies. With hatchrite you are not supposed to add a lot of water. It comes with something in it that keeps it moist, so last season, I only had to give one small spray prior to putting eggs in, and they were good for the full term. Seeing as how the bag is a little over a year old now, maybe whatever kept the hatchrite moist last year has dried up.