Monday, March 9, 2009

Experiment ON!

Welcome to everyone who has come over to follow this experiment. If you can think of anyone on the board who wanted to follow this, PM them with the link! The more the merrier!

I started the Experiment on Sunday 8-MAR-2009. Estimated Hatch date: 29-MAR-2009

I have 3 eggs in each bra cup, plus 2 in the cleavage. I put 6 control eggs into the incubator.

I took a fall yesterday (landed on my butt) so I don't know if I scrambled any of them. If I did, I'll just pop some more in the bra. :)

I picked up some chickens yesterday, and I was telling her about the experiment. She was hysterical! When she finally stopped laughing enough to talk, she told her hubby, who didn't believe it at first.

Katie

3 comments:

  1. There exists a fine line between genius and insanity. Some cross that line by mistake, others venture across it often. In your case however, that line has been completely erased.

    I will follow this experiment with anticipation.

    Dr. Smileyface

    P.S. Am jealous of the chicks. Natch.

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  2. Are you rotating them? Ducks rotate their eggs so they stay evenly warm, but I don't know if chickens do.

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  3. Aha! I found you!

    I have to apologize for probably being responsible for getting both incubation threads deleted; it got a bit raucous and I forgot that in the USA humor and women's underwear don't mix.

    Unfortunately my hatching experiment met with a tragic end. As I was packing up to go to the airport and tossing everything into the trunk of my car, I let my parents' big, clunky suitcase slip. The corner hit me right in the egg, and the egg was crushed instantly. What followed was some foul (fowl?) language from me and a rapid change of both plans and clothing.

    Looking back, I'm happy it didn't happen at the airport. That kind of mess would have been tough to explain. "Why yes, officer... it's an ancient Eastern European beauty treatment. You have to feed them or they won't grow. How do you think they got this way?"

    The yolk was crushed and there were bits of shell everywhere so it was hard to tell what was what, but I did see some signs of veining so I believe the egg was developing.

    The most surprising thing was how hot the contents of the egg were. They seemed to be warmer than the egg, the temperature of which I was used to, and warmer than my skin. It was about the temperature of a hot bath. I didn't measure any temperatures, obviously, because there was goop everywhere, but the heat observation led me to a couple of thoughts.

    1) What if there's something about a developing egg that causes it to hold onto heat? It's not just a passive inert lump of protein, there is a series of chemical reactions going on there and also a little animal struggling to grow. Could it be that just having something alive in there generates a bit of heat? Not enough to keep it alive, but just a bit?

    2) We do know that when it comes to transmitting heat, conduction (having the heat move from one solid or squishy object to another which is what a broody hen does) is more efficient than convection (having the heat move from the air to an object like an air incubator does). Although the broody hen's temperature is higher than a human's, her skin is not in contact with all the eggs all the time, or with the entire egg. The nest, and her feathers, also have an insulating effect.

    Thanks,

    Squeaky

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