Mad Scientist Hatch-along: also a quail science project

[Susan Skylark]

Can you name any mad (or not so mad) scientists in history or fiction? Spock, Dr. Jekyl, Doc (back to the future)…I hope so because I’m drawing mostly blanks! Today is Day 3 for almost 3 dozen quail eggs that have volunteered to be part of a notorious experiment wherein we will try to discern if it is egg turning (or lack thereof) or storage temp (room or fridge) that affects hatching rate in stored eggs. I collected eggs over a 72 hour period and divided them equally between three test groups and stored them accordingly for a minimum of 72 hours. I just candled them and most seem to be developing (so fertility isn’t an issue and development isn’t affected rather hatchability is what we are after). Test groups are room temp no turning during storage, and then 2 fridge groups one turned and the other not. Stay tuned and think of some great scientific names (sorry, no binomials!).

 

[Stravager]

Curie, as in Marie Curie. Sherlock if you want to count the work the detective uses as him being an official scientist. Rodney from that space bridge TV series. Bones and Abby of TV crime show fame.

 

[Susan Skylark]

Any frighteningly brilliant individual would be appropriate (Dr. House?) to the theme though it is a rather ironic theme for a quail (Watson is more appropriate: short, plump, docile!). Love it, thanks!

 

[Susan Skylark]

Day 4: candled again, pulled 2 infertile eggs along with 2 large dark eggs that are hard to see through. Sadly I’ll have to cull eggs daily to get from 33 to about a dozen or I’ll have quail coming out my ears. Didn’t expect so many eggs to develop! The two infertile eggs are out of the same hen and I think she has issues. The other two are also the same hen (but different bird than infertile eggs). One was a dead day 3 and the other had a healthy day 4 embryo. No sign of sticking to the shell or other abnormal development. 29 eggs left.

 

[Glory to His name]

Stubbins Ffirth!
Such a name, and he was certainly mad

 

[Susan Skylark]

Almost want to throw Engelbert Humperdinck on there, which is just the best name ever though neither the fictional character or the musician would theoretically qualify!

 

[Susan Skylark]

Day 6 and 8: scrambled a few more eggs, all live embryos and stuck to the shell regardless of treatment group. I’m wondering though if this is normal for quail eggs at this stage, I’ve noticed when candling the contents are rather sluggish to move and float to the top and even appear to have a half and half pattern that isn’t due to gravity. But they do eventually settle though it takes a minute or so. Those eggs have all gone on to hatch. Have also noticed some of the embryos have clear eyeballs and some black, thought it might be a slower developing egg day 6 but had another today (day 8), not sure if it is significant. I’d like to get it down to 18 eggs (6 per group) by day 12 and let 12 go to hatch (my brooder won’t hold more comfortably). And the older the embryos get the harder it is to kill them! But so far temp and turning don’t seem to affect early development and survival (we’ll see what the final numbers are!). Out of 33 eggs 2 were infertile and one stopped developing day 3, the rest seem to be developing normally and all 9 of the randomly selected eggs to open have been alive. Already have my next science project too: complete dry hatch until lockdown (the humidity control on my incubator is ridiculous but still manages to hatch eggs!).

 

[Susan Skylark]

Day 10: 4 eggs opened (18 left), all alive and developing, albumin sticks a little bit much better than days 6/8. Another embryo with little pigment in the eyeballs but anatomically fine, has lids that blink, probably just a color thing? Other eggs candling with veins and at least half full of stuff, a couple seem a little iffy but will check again day 12 (will open one egg from each group and then again on day 14 to bring a total of 12 eggs into lockdown). So far no signs of impeded development or increased early embryonic death from either fridge or lack of turning, hatch rate is yet to be seen.

 

[Susan Skylark]

Day 11: yes I was going to wait until tomorrow but you know, eggs! Candled again, two iffy eggs marked and culled along with a seemingly normal one from the third treatment group (to keep it even). Two weird ones were decaying day 6 embryos (both from no turn groups) the other was normal. Last candle/open eggs probably day 13 before lockdown day 14. Current score: one early embryonic death in each group, two infertile, everything else normal.

 

[Susan Skylark]

Day 13: last 3 eggs out (12 left), one a little iffy (dead day 3, I really missed that one!) other two normal (and really looking like baby quail, sad!). 4 left in each treatment group to go into lockdown.