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How to save a cracked hatching egg

I had a really bad thing happen last month. I broke a hatching egg that was less than a week away from hatching. It gets worse though.....my only roo from the d'Uccle pen had been taken by a hawk a few weeks before. His girls stopped laying eggs for a week or so after that, I assumed from the stress. By the time they got back to normal, I only got a few eggs to start developing before they all became infertile.

fix a cracked egg

So you can imagine my heartbreak when the lid of the incubator slipped out of my hand and crashed down on this precious egg. The egg was cracked in several places. I almost cried. Almost, but I know a cracked egg can still hatch once it's mended properly, so I just sprung into action. Meet Lucky: he came out of that broken egg & this is how I saved him.

How to fix a cracked egg


In order for a cracked egg to finish incubating, it needs repaired so bacteria cannot enter into the egg. First I got a plain white utility candle. Unscented. I lit the candle and dripped wax onto every crack I could see. I even had to wipe a little blood off the egg. Poor baby, I was so worried! 

If you don't have a white taper candle, use a birthday cake candle. Preferably white, but if you only have colored candles pick the lightest color. Do not use a candle in a jar! The wax is entirely too soft, plus it will have scent and color added to it. Softer wax burns at a cooler temperature and might not stay solid in the incubator which may allow bacteria to enter.

The egg was slightly dirty from the chicks that had hatched the week before. I didn't dare clean it off at this point! I didn't want to risk removing the bloom or rubbing bacteria into the egg.

I made sure the cracks in the eggshell were all sealed to prevent bacteria from entering the egg through those cracks. If bacteria gets in the egg to the developing chick it will end the development process. 

I really didn't want to lose this chick so I pulled out my candling light and made sure all the cracks were covered with wax. I didn't cover the whole egg, just the cracks.

fix cracked egg

I put the egg back in the incubator and waited...and waited. The wait was killing me, honestly! I candled the egg several times over the next 5 days. I just had to make sure it was still developing! Then came the day that I heard cheeping from the egg. I was so excited to see a little pip!

Helping the cracked egg hatch


cracked egg hatching

I checked on that egg at least 2 dozen times in the next few hours. I watched as he slowly zipped around. I was worried that the wax wouldn't give enough. I was prepared to have to chip the wax off myself, or help him break through it. 

Luckily he managed to zip completely and he finally popped the top off! He was laying there resting the next time I came in to check on him.

Chick hatching, cracked egg

Here is a short video I made of hatch day. I don't recommend 'helping' in normal hatching conditions, but being that the shell was pretty much 'glued' back together with wax, I decided to reach in and make sure he could get himself out: How To Fix A Broken Hatching Egg.



We decided to call him Lucky. He certainly is one lucky little guy. Of course I'm hoping for a little roo! (that's a first, right?) I'll order a few hatching eggs from another breeder for a main roo, but if this one is a cockerel I'll keep him as a back up and give him some girls of his own. 

If it's a little pullet, she'll join the flock too. Either way I'm just glad to get one more chick out of my beloved 'Big Boy'.

I miss the little guy, he was an awesome roo! There was so much personality packed into that little bantam. He did his 'rooster duties' with the rest of the flock but his best girl was Pebbles.....you never saw one without the other. She was his best friend and it was so stinkin' cute! 


There are 2 more eggs that have been developing that I put under a Silkie mama. They were safe from my lid-dropping episode. They should hatch tomorrow.

booted bantam rooster

That's my story of how I incubated a cracked egg and it hatched! I'm so happy to have this chick and possibly 2 more. RIP buddy......we'll take good care of your flock and new chicks!

Want to know more about incubation chick illness? Click here for my other posts on incubation, hatching and caring for chicks.

~L
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29 comments:

  1. Awww, so sweet. Glad you saved the chick. There is nothing worse than losing a favorite chicken. When I lost mine I had been saving eggs for her to sit on. All 10 eggs hatched. None of them looked like her which was a bummer but a blessing, I was still too sad. The next generation had several that looked like her and I was emotionally ready for them ☺

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    1. Awww, I'm so glad you got another one like her! What a great story..thanks!

      ~L

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    2. Hello! I would just like to say that it's day 20, and a crack was found in the egg, a little bit of a long crack! Hopefully the chick makes it through! PS: Great story!

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  2. Awesome! I never considered wax to seal an egg back up but your quick thinking and desperation sure payed off. I know this will come in very handy for me. I hope it's a rooster too!

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    1. Thanks! I've tried tape and glue also, but wax has worked the best. Just make sure it's a plain white candle. I'm not sure if the additives in colored or fragrance candles would hurt..but why try?

      Thanks for stopping by!

      ~L

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  3. what a great tip! I'm getting my first chicks in March, and can't wait! I have been pinning EVERY possible thing I can to ensure my ability to take care of the chicks...this is just one more thing to add! hope the other eggs hatch soon!

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    1. Good luck with your chicks! If you have any questions or problems you can email me through here or Google+, Facebook etc...I'd love to help.

      ~L

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  4. I'm so glad this worked for you. I know how stressful it is to watch and wait.

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  5. Update please, did you get a roo?

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    1. Unfortunately, we did not. I eventually found a breeder with a line that I liked to get more eggs from. Today is hatch day! It looks like I'm going to have at least 6 hatch so I'm hoping for 2 roos! Definitely keeping a backup roo this time!
      Thanks for asking!

      ~L

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  6. I was so worried about one of my hens eggs because I dropped it and put a dent in the bottom of the egg. Yesterday I could only see a small yellow yolk when I candled it . Today I see the yolk has filled half of the egg along with a few branches if blood filled veins. I am so glad it is developing. I will have to try your wax trick . Your blog definitely gives me alot of hope for my poor egg. Thank you so much. I will keep you posted.

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    1. You should try it! The sooner you get the cracks sealed, the better chance it has of hatching. I'd love to know how it works out!

      ~L

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    2. We have a cracked egg under the hen at day 17. We can see it moving through the crack so we will try the candle trick. I'm a little worried to put it back under mama but we don't have an incubator. -Thanks!

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  7. I unfortunately cracked my cockatiel egg at day 16 today as it slipped while candling...I immediately applied wax..hoping for it to hatch safely..need prayers from you friends.

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    1. Oh no! If you sealed up the egg right away it still has a good chance of hatching. Prayers for your little egg to hatch!

      Lisa

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  8. I just had an egg slip from my fingers while candling too! I had to get online to see if it's fixable. I didn't think of wax , but I put a band-aid on it. It's perforated and seems like it's sealed. I'm a little scared to peel it off to try wax, but I think I will. So glad this is still on the internet!

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    1. Oh no! I hope you got it sealed up and it hatched for you!

      Lisa

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  9. Ok, I just tried it! I feel better, but we will see in a few days!

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  10. I thought my Quail eggs were badd when I cracked one open and I mean I removed the complete air cell area. I saw it moving around inside the sack I put a small damp paper towel over it and put it back in the incubator. how do I know when it's ready it definitely has to be at least 2 weeks old. It's been about 2 to 3 hours and it still moving when I check on it..

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    1. Quail eggs take 4 weeks to hatch. You're going to have to either replace and seal the top with wax, or keep that paper towel damp till hatch. Good luck!

      Lisa

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  11. Thank you for this post! I saved one of my eggs by following your advice.

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    1. Yeay! Thanks for letting me know...I'm so happy the post helped you!

      Lisa

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  12. oh thankyou for this advice. my silkie momma has dinted one of her pekin eggs after just 10 days, luckily its only a tiny break, so will try this and hope for the best! thankyou :) x

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  13. I had a chic we named lucky as well. Years ago my girls who are grown adults now were cleaning out the incubator
    there were a couple of duds that didn't hatch so in the garbage they went. Well later that day I heard chirping and thought one of the chicks escaped from the cage. So I went downstairs to investigate. No? All the chicks where there sleeping under the heat lamp. I started back upstairs and heard cheep cheep again. I walked back down and heard the sound coming from the garbage can and there she was Lucky. In the next hour she was out of her shell in the incubator. After she got older, Lucky was the joker of the flock. We were always laughing at her that summer while doing the chores.

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    1. Awww, what a great story! I'm so glad you hear her when you did and was able to save her!

      Lisa

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  14. hi! i have a budgie egg which is slightly cracked. can i use a lavender scented candle to seal the cracks?

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    1. A stick candle would be better for sealing an egg than a jar candle, but if all you have is a jar candle or scented candle then it's definitely better than nothing! I hope it works for you!

      Lisa

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