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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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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