capper2013
Chirping
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.