Can You use the water method with incubated eggs?

[Goat_Walker]

Ok, so Im having trouble with my eggs in the bator going stinky and yucky - Can I use the method where you put them in water and see if they float or sink? Or because they are incubated can I not?

Im having alot of trouble with candleing and not haveing a bright enough light and I dont have the mone right now to buy a light specifically made for candleing.

 

[FenDruadin]

I know I already answered this on your other thread, but I wanted to add about the flashlight--if you really can't candle, can you just remove the eggs as soon as they start to stink? As long as they don't actually explode, they won't cause undue problems in your incubator. So, I would just check them every couple days and toss any that are starting to stink or weep.

Probably not as reliable as candling, but I don't think the sink/float thing will work. The reason it works for eating eggs is that an egg that is old will have a large air cell and therefore cause the egg to float. Eggs that have been incubated will eventually have a large air cell whether they are good or not, and therefore it won't tell you anything useful for your purposes.

Sorry!

 

[shelleyd2008]

The water method absolutely works for incubated eggs, but it is different from the sink/float you'd use for eating eggs. A bad egg would float very high on the water, a good egg would also float. The difference is that you will see the good egg moving around, from the baby inside the egg moving.

Do you have a lamp? A coffee can? You can make your own candler. Just cut a hole in the bottom of a coffee can, just big enough to set the egg on. Put your light underneath and the egg in the whole and turn the light on. Just don't leave it there too long, as it will get hot (unless you use flourescent/energy saver lights).

 

[DuckLady]

To avoid confusion, let's keep this to one thread. Thanks!
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=240034