Someone asked how I can be certain if my eggs are dead or not...I think it becomes pretty obvious at some point.
Ideally you would detach the dead eggs from the viable ones.
It is not the mold you have to be concerned about...it is the excess fluid being wicked from a dying egg into a living one (eggs are semi-permeable).
Some breeders separate connected eggs as soon as they are laid for this very reason, however, historically I have had little issue-so I do not add the risk of damaging dozens of healthy eggs to proactively prevent a rare occurrence.
Before you start separating connected eggs though: Do take into account the relative age and amount of time until hatch.
In my Clutch#17 I lost one egg early on and removed it, then I lost the last three (shown below) fairly recently.
Since the remaining egg is due to hatch any day now--there is a greater risk of manipulating it then leaving it as-is.
If I was at an earlier point in incubation: I would use scalpel or razor blade and then slice through the dead eggs to disconnect them while using paper towels to wick away any leakage.
Yes, it is gross and a dirty job, but, how badly did you want that hatchling?
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