Float Testing, Checking Egg Viability For Late Or Overdue Hatching

[minihorse927]

Would it be safe to let her brood a new batch of eggs? Set her in the other broody coop and just give her a smaller batch of fertilised eggs freshly laid from the rest of my girls? I dont want to drag it out for her if it will make her ill, but if I can let her raise some then I would like to do so. I think maybe she overdid it deciding to sit on so many and just couldnt keep them consistently warm enough. I guess I still may get a pleasant surprise from the last few, I will just keep and eye on her and remove any bad ones but I'm kind of expecting it to be a failed hatch at this stage. I took a pic of the one that had formed but died, but not sure how to best find out how many days old it was.

Check out https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...g-candling-pics-progression-though-incubation. It explains in depth what they are doing in the egg whike developing and shows candling pictures.

 

[loobylu]

The ones left are all in the darkest stage, I'm not sure other than wait how I'm going to tell if they will hatch or if they died :-(

 

[loobylu]

Loud sounds of cheeping going on, saw one egg pipping this morning not sure if there are others but fingers crossed the late claimed eggs are hatching

 

[dc3085]

The peeping you hear is the chicks organizing the hatch time. They are finding out who is ready so they mostly all go at the same time.

 

[KendyF]

I have a question I have some BCM eggs which were low floaters, yet they look clear.. (we know how hard these eggs can be to see!) So, would it be possible for them to be low floaters in the incubator for 18 days and be clear?

 

[peanut1981]

I don't think it matters how they float. It's weather or not the flutter in the water. If they are clear they more than likely aren't fertile if they've been in for 18 days!

 

[ettatrautz]

What if the eggs sink to the bottom but rock around? 14/18 eggs did this (I float checked before lockdown) I'm on day 23 and still no chicks. I had one day that the temp and humidity were extremely low on day 12, the ac went wacky in the hatch room. I'm not sure what's going on if there's movement and sinking!

 

[peanut1981]

Temp flux could cause them to take longer! Coturnix or?

 

[ettatrautz]

They're actually chicken eggs.... Sorry my sis is the quail pro and sent me here! Completely forgot to mention they're chicken eggs!

 

[MemawSwift]

I have the same type question: I have 2 duck eggs that were left from a nest. They have been in the bator almost a week and were showing good signs of veins and movement. I believe they are very close now because the eggs are so full and I can't see much of anything. I water candled and they both sunk. One had plenty of wiggles and the other, I'm not sure. The two that were just older also sunk but moved. Next day an internal pip on one. Two days later, it died with no external pip. My best guess was it ran out of air and wasn't able to break the shell. The second one did the same so after 1 1/2 days I put a small hole in the air cell of the shell only not breaking the membrane. Another story, but it is fine now. Is it possible there is not enough "air" in the voided space allowing them to float? I really want to figure this out as to not lose these two babies for something I could prevent.