Float Testing, Checking Egg Viability For Late Or Overdue Hatching

[capper2013]

I totally agree. But to be clear, the odds of opening a unpipped egg, and it surviving, are very slim. Your experience almost had to have been timed perfectly. The chick likely already started the pipping process before the egg could sink, or the air cell would have made it float....... The only other explanation I can think of would be the humidity during your incubation was too high and the air cell never had the chance to develop. If this was the case, none of the others should have hatched either.... To explain, the reasoning behind my advise to "toss the eggs". It was geared toward the worst case. A living chick that would need to be ended by someone who's heart may be softer than my own..... Most folks who are new to the hobby, dont think about the very high probability of having to either watch a chick wither and die or end it with their own hand, because they "helped" it hatch..... If it has not been apparent at this point. I feel this "test" was never intended for hatching eggs. It was intended to determine the age of eggs meant for eating. Short of a egg that wiggles, it provides very little useful information for hatching and clearly cant be depended on to indicate a living or dead chick. But it can harm chicks that are struggling anyway.....

i agree wholeheartedly, it is not a nice scenario to have to deal with anything dying. an egg looks and feels nothing more than a shell, you add into the mix a little face with beady little eyes and a gasping beak straining to breathe and it is difficult not to anthropomorphise the poor little critter. personally I am not particularly phased by it, so remain somewhat aloof. I still feel sad if one dies, but I think I would be less sad throwing an egg in the bin. having dealt with a large proportion of death (of the human variety) throughout the course of my career I have probably become hardened to it somewhat; therefore I think I would be inclined to throw them away too if a newbie or emotionally attached. I am a bit of a freak that can experience a little sadness at the loss then get over it a moment later with a coffee and a chocolate wafer cookie.
I have no explanation as to why or how mine survived beyond being glad it did. I had six survive in total, I would have had more but I killed 2 with the incubator turning rod; however the only one surviving now is the sinker as a certain little girl decided to feed the chicks sweets when they were very little, seemed they died of an infected crop. however, I guess it could not have been the humidity option as most eggs came out well.
I have no plans to float test for anything other than seeing them tumble and turn, that looks so awesome it is worth doing!
so going back to my original thoughts, don't open them unless you really don't care too much what you find. I hadn't considered this angle, thank you FD for pointing it out, it really would not have occurred to me about other's feelings if you hadn't.

 

[brandy6810]

So I did this since it's day 31 on my Cyuga ducks, I've candled them and I had 12 at the start I have 9 eggs left and after candeling them they all have fully developed ducklings in them. Anyway I had one that floated about 3/4 of the way down the bowl, 2 that sunk and 6 that floated at the top but only about 10% out of the water I'm assuming that's the air cell keeping them up. Can someone tell me what exactly result wise I have?

 

[dc3085]

Excuse me, Please dont take this wrong, but feb. 4th to today march 3rd is 27 days....floating eggs can give you an idea how fresh the egg is, or a easy way to detect movement inside. The egg floating only means there is air in the eggs, not that this is to taken for signs of life..... the only thing the float test can show you is if the egg wiggles while floating in the water. A chick inside has to move before the egg will wiggle.... check out this video from Moby...... only the egg that is moving are we sure has a living chick.....

I wish this post was the second one on this thread. Read from page 28-29 to page 31 and you should get a better understanding of what exactly a float test can tell you.

 

[kelly13]

So I am incubating as well and I am on day 23 today, and I float tested my eggs. They all floated with just the egg sac above the water line some slightly less. Two of them
Moved a lot. Others moved minimally or maybe my eyes were playing tricks on me. I saw no pip on the two that moved a bunch. I'm wondering if they still don't have any pipping by tomorrow if I should start assisting?

 

[dc3085]

I dont recommend ever assisting. If they cant make it out of the shell on their own they probably werent fit to in the first place.

 

[sktlmt]

So I am incubating as well and I am on day 23 today, and I float tested my eggs. They all floated with just the egg sac above the water line some slightly less. Two of them
Moved a lot. Others moved minimally or maybe my eyes were playing tricks on me. I saw no pip on the two that moved a bunch. I'm wondering if they still don't have any pipping by tomorrow if I should start assisting?

 

[kelly13]

They don't chirp or tap... The only reason why I thought they are alive is because when I floated them they were really wiggling around. But that's the only sign of life that I have seen. I'm trying not to mess with them too much but I don't wanna throw away eggs that have a chance.. I just don't know when to officially give up or help them out?

 

[kelly13]

Well they were all dead when I opened them up... Except one out of 20! I just opened a portion of the air pocket and can see its heart beating .. I moistened the membrane slightly but don't see a beak.. Maybe it's on the wrong end.. I put a wet paper towel around it and put it back in. Doesn't seem hopeful.. However my brahma mama is sitting on some eggs that I'm hoping hatches although I saw her pecking at one today and eating the shell ... Which does not sound promising either...

 

[Justem]

it was hatching day, the eggs didn't hatch the whole batch of peking eggs weren't in the best state when I tried incubating. they hadn't been bought in, the ducks had been on and off them so out of the whole lot I only had 9 develop and out of that 9 only got 4 to hatch! Ducks seem to be harder to incubate in my primitive incubator! What really devastated me was a raven killed one duckling! right after a dog had killed my best hen! Not a good week!

 

[sonshine15]

I finally caved in and floated the eggs my broody is setting on. The 24th was day 21. She began with 13! I fenced her off from the other chickens wondering if they were breaking some eggs and no doubt they could have BUT she is now down to 4. The last two: One had fully developed, was half out of the shell when I went to check and was dead. A young roo was by her nest (now fenced in) this morning another egg had broken........feathers were stuck on another egg...........4 floated.. One more and I'll bring them in to finish and put fresh eggs under her than take them back. Frustrated. I think she's damaging and eating them