Float Testing, Checking Egg Viability For Late Or Overdue Hatching

Many Folks Are Having Eggs Go Overdue For Hatch And Wondering If They Are Duds, Late, Or Have Had Some Sort Of Fetal Demise.... The Float Test Is Simple Yet Effect Way Of Checking Egg Viability.

I Normally Give Eggs A Full 24 Hrs Overdue Before Float Testing. It Works On All Bird Eggs- Period! Takes Very Little Equipment Or Time To Do And Is Easy To Perform.


Start With A Bowl Of Sufficient Depth To Allow The Eggs Your Testing To Float Freely Or Sink. Add 100 Degree Water To The Needed Level And Allow It To Settle( Quit Swirling And Calm Down)

Once Settled Take The Egg Or Eggs To Be Tested And Gently Lower Them Into The Water With As Little Disturbance As Possible. You May Need To Wait A Few Minutes For The Water To Settle Again After Adding Egg/ Eggs. Then Just Watch....

Eggs Are Judged By Observation With Results As Follows:

1. Sinker= Dud, Never Developed

2. High Floater (like A Fishing Bobber Without Weights) Say 45% Or More Of The Egg Above The Water Line= Dud, No Development Or Fetal Demise, Likely Rupture Of Internal Membranes Causing The Egg To Dehydrate.

3. Low Floater= Viable Egg, Development Full Term

4. Low Floater Rockin And Rollin! This Is The Live Embryo Moving Inside The Egg= Definate Viable Egg!

Once Test Results Complete Take Viable Eggs And Gently Pat Dry And Replace In Hatcher. Duds Are Best Discarded At This Time.


It Should Be Noted All Eggs Warrant Close Inspection Prior To Float Testing--- Any Pips In The Shell? Do Not Float Test! If The Shell Is Broken, Pipped Or Cracked In Any Way Water May Enter And Drown The Chick Inside

This Test Works Off Of Air Cell Development With Embryo Growth. Infertile Eggs Will Have An Underdeveloped Or Absent Air Cell That Isnt Large Enough To Float The Egg....thus The Sinkers. Ruptured Membranes Will Allow The Egg To Dehydrate.... Thus The High Floater. Proper Development Of The Embryo Will Cause The Air Cell To Develope To The Point Where Viable Eggs Will Float With Approximately 10-15% Of The Egg Above The Water Line--- These Are The Viable Eggs. Obvious Movement Of The Egg Shows Signs Of Life For The Chick Within. Works On All Bird Eggs From Hummingbirds To Ostriches

Great Info! Thanks!

You're Welcome..... Kinda Hoping The Mods Make It A Sticky Post So I Dont Have To Keep Retyping It


Note from Nifty:
Added to the "Quail Notable Archives & Important / Freqently Requested Topics "

That should be a sticky..there should be some stickys taken down as they are incorrect but shhhhh I didn't say anything

I used this method as a neighbor told me about it. I had so many eggs! I bout 12 and then Bertha had her own eggs under her and Elly had eggs under her.

In the end I had at least 18 odd eggs in the Incubator. But I knew we boild the bought eggs at the start as the temp went wrong and it was a disaster. I did keep them just in case but didn;t give much hope. Ells eggs ended up in the incubator because she died so I didn;t know if they would be ok or not as they went cold? Anyhow Berthas eggs hatched on time 21 and 22 days. - So I was left with all these eggs! at 24 days we did the water test as we were afraid of exploding eggs. I ended up tossing 11 of the bought eggs. We opened them and nothing was inside them at all! 1 egg tried to hatch and died so We had 7 left 1 from the bought eggs that deffinately moved and 6 from Ellys nest but I think they got mixed up at that stage and I couldn;t figure If I tossed any of Ellys or not? anyhow I had those left. - so we watched them and decided well they looked like they may be doing something. On the 27 th day Blue was hatched/ 28th day just as I was going to bung the rest I found a pip and Omlet was Hatched.
4 eggs remained and I waited as they had deffinately moved on day 23 when we did the test. Sadly they never hatched and on day 30 we finally gave up and opened them. They were perfectly formed baby birds - I am not sure if we accidently drwoned them as they seemed wet - though I think at that stage they were probably wet from rotting.
We lost one chick through shrink wrap - the one that couldn;t get out of the shell. We saved two by intervineing so its hard to tell. One thing I do know the water test was accurate in every way. - The eggs that were duds had nothing in them and the rest had chicks inside. - we never got it wrong. I would deffinatly do that again if I had late hatchers!

Would be terrible to thow one away that was just late wouldn;t it! - I mean if I followed the advice on dumping at 24/25 days - Omlet and Blue would not be here at all! They were very very late and very weak. Now 8weeks old and doing well !

Some folk advised against this method but I think it works and is better than killing a chick because you thought it was a dud and was just a late bloomer!

Oesdog -

stickied

Thanks for the great info JJRM. I need to try it.

I am goin to do this now.

I do this with chicken eggs, but I have never thought about trying it with quail.

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ITS VERY HELPFUL WITH DARK OR HARD TO CANDLE EGGS SUCH AS BUTTON QUAIL, COTURNIX, AND ESPECIALLY MOST PHEASANT EGGS