Eggs developed after being frozen.

[SimplyBirdLover]

My cockatiel has laid a clutch of 3 eggs.
Upon noticing them, I shook them for one minute and then froze them for 24 hours then, returned them to the cage. I didn’t candle them until this morning because I assumed they were not viable and that they were “dead” and I was just waiting for her to lose interest with time.
Well, I candled them and two of the eggs are developed. Could it be because I froze and shook them before they started developing??
I’ve never tried either of these options before this but I was really not wanting any babies. Is there anything I can do at this point?? They are about 14 days Into development, I believe.
I don’t know if boiling would be appropriate at this point since they are now chicks. I wish I would have checked them sooner than this because it would have been easier to take care of. Thank you in advance for any and all advice.

 

[ChristaNL]

Just boil them anyway.
Sorry if this sounds cruel, but not as cruel as having unwanted babies.

Next time: chuck the eggs immediately and put back some plastic ones.
Less stress that way.

 

[EllenD]

Are you sure they are fertile? Do you actually see red veins, or are you simply seeing a darkening of the middle of the egg? Unless you actually see veins, they aren't fertile. Infertile eggs don't always stay translucent...

Either way, yes, please just boil them for 20 minutes. If you're not ready to possibly have to hand-raise/hand-feed baby birds every 2 hours for the first 4 weeks, including overnight, then it's much better than letting any babies hatch.

 

[SimplyBirdLover]

Are you sure they are fertile? Do you actually see red veins, or are you simply seeing a darkening of the middle of the egg? Unless you actually see veins, they aren't fertile. Infertile eggs don't always stay translucent...

Either way, yes, please just boil them for 20 minutes. If you're not ready to possibly have to hand-raise/hand-feed baby birds every 2 hours for the first 4 weeks, including overnight, then it's much better than letting any babies hatch.

They are definitely fertile and developing. They have tons veins and lots of movement. I am prepared for the babies but, I just wish they weren’t fertile. But I don’t know if I could boil them at this point. My vet said if I allow them to hatch, that she could take them and hand feed them for me. I’ll probably go that route and buy some plastic eggs for next time.
Thank you for the advice!!

 

[GaleriaGila]

I am not a breeder, but... this sounds ... supernatural to me! Tiny cockatiel eggs, frozen for 24 hours, solid, surely, and now alive? Frozen, as in, in a freezer? What am I missing?

 

[ChristaNL]

I think somebody mixed up freezer and fridge
that is why boiling is always the better option: nobody gets confused about a pan with bubbling steaming hot water.

 

[Scott]

You shook the eggs for one minute, and they remain viable despite that and freezing??

 

[EllenD]

Yeah, I didn't want to say this before, but there is no way that fertile eggs would have survived 24-hours inside of a freezer at a temp that is at or below freezing; the fact that the eggs were also "shaken" before being frozen for 24 hours just adds to something not adding-up at all..

I would be very hesitant to allow these eggs to hatch for a number of reasons...#1) If they were actually "shaken" and then frozen for 24-hours, you have no idea what type of damage was done to the developing embyros inside them, and these babies, if they hatch which I doubt they will, may have a lot of severe deformities/conditions, etc., which would make boiling them now much more humane than allowing them to hatch...and then #2) No one, not even very experienced bird breeders, EVER start feeding baby birds before they are at least 2 weeks old, and the likelihood that the babies will survive with the vet hand-feeding them from-hatching is slim to none. First, it's extremely difficult to hand-feed a baby bird that is less than 2 weeks-old without aspirating them, and if this happens they literally fall over dead instantly at that age. Second, the baby birds are given antibodies through their parent's "crop milk" for the first 2-weeks of life, which help their immune systems to develop. So hand-feeding them for the first 2 weeks of life is robbing them of these antibodies....Plus, they have to be kept at exactly the correct ambient temperature, with no variation, and be fed formula that is at exactly the correct temperature, not a degree too high or too low. Basically, the chances of a baby bird who is hand-fed from day one surviving is probably around 5-10%, and if these eggs were actually "shaken" and frozen for 24-hours, the likelihood that allowing them to hatch is much, much, much more inhumane and cruel than simply boiling the eggs before they hatch is very high...

My guess is going to be that they aren't going to hatch anyway, if they were truly shaken and frozen for 24-hours in an actual freezer and not a fridge.