Egg repair explained

Egg repair is the process of repairing the eggshell of a live egg, particularly for live birds as eggs may be damaged by parent birds with sharp claws that can punch holes in a fertilized egg. Eggs are repaired by gluing a piece of another egg of the same shape over the top.^[1] Cracked eggs can be repaired by applying white glue. Broken or cracked eggs are likely to be infected by bacteria, followed by death of the embryo. Antiseptic can be used to kill surface bacteria prior to repair.^[2]

Birds can also develop from eggs without shells, but the chance of success is around 60% for chickens.^[3] A transparent substitute for eggshell made from polydimethylsiloxane allows observation of the growing embryo.^[4]

Notes and References

1. Book: Vriends , M.M. . Hand-feeding and Raising Baby Birds: Breeding, Hand-feeding, Care, and Management. Barron's Educational Series. 1996. 978-0-8120-9581-4. 5 May 2019. 43. The essential items for egg repair are: • glue • scissors • bandage • sterile water (for cleaning eggshell or young after feeding) • cotton balls (same) • gauze • cotton swabs (for moistening of egg membranes while chick is trying to hatch; also for ....
2. Web site: Johnson . Sibylle . Repairing Cracked Eggs . www.beautyofbirds.com . 5 May 2019.
3. Web site: MacDonald . Fiona . Watch a Chick Develop And Hatch Outside of The Egg . ScienceAlert . 1 November 2019 . en-gb.
4. Web site: Crew . Bec . WATCH: Scientists Have Created a See-Through Eggshell to Watch Embryo Development . ScienceAlert . 1 November 2019 . en-gb.