Chick not hatching day 23

[Slickchick201]

I have one of my chicks here that seems he/she does not want to hatch. It’s day 23 now and on day 21 I seen him/her wiggling and moving around, now there’s nothing. I just did that water floating test and about 10% of the egg is above the water. How long should I wait? Do I keep him in the incubator longer? Is there anyway I can assist him/her?

 

[JacinLarkwell]

It likely didn't make it at this point.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I just did that water floating test and about 10% of the egg is above the water.

That is not the float test to see if a chick is still alive inside. That test is just to see how much moisture an egg has lost. That test doesn't tell you if the egg is good to eat or not, just gives an idea of how old it is. It has nothing to do with an incubated egg, more if you find a hidden nest and wonder if the eggs are good to eat.

The type of float test to see if a chick is still alive in there should only be used as a last resort, just before you toss an egg you don't think will hatch. If an egg has a living chick in it and you float it in a still pan of water it will wiggle. You will clearly see it wiggling in the water. I hesitate to mention it because some people will see it as a way to check how the eggs are doing as they get close to hatch. All they are doing is creating an opportunity for things to go wrong but they do it anyway.

In your case I think it is justified. You want to know if you should toss that egg or or keep trying. If the egg wiggles put it back in the incubator and wait. If it doesn't wiggle it is dead. If you do that earlier in incubation you run the risk of washing off the bloom, which can allow bacteria to enter the porous egg, which will kill the chick. As late in the process as you are even if you rinse off bloom the chick will either hatch or not hatch before bacteria has a chance to be a problem.

 

[Slickchick201]

That is not the float test to see if a chick is still alive inside. That test is just to see how much moisture an egg has lost. That test doesn't tell you if the egg is good to eat or not, just gives an idea of how old it is. It has nothing to do with an incubated egg, more if you find a hidden nest and wonder if the eggs are good to eat.

The type of float test to see if a chick is still alive in there should only be used as a last resort, just before you toss an egg you don't think will hatch. If an egg has a living chick in it and you float it in a still pan of water it will wiggle. You will clearly see it wiggling in the water. I hesitate to mention it because some people will see it as a way to check how the eggs are doing as they get close to hatch. All they are doing is creating an opportunity for things to go wrong but they do it anyway.

In your case I think it is justified. You want to know if you should toss that egg or or keep trying. If the egg wiggles put it back in the incubator and wait. If it doesn't wiggle it is dead. If you do that earlier in incubation you run the risk of washing off the bloom, which can allow bacteria to enter the porous egg, which will kill the chick. As late in the process as you are even if you rinse off bloom the chick will either hatch or not hatch before bacteria has a chance to be a problem.

Thank you for clarifying and teaching me more on this. It’s so sad to see that the chick was just moving around the day before he was technically supposed to hatch and now it died what could have went wrong?

 

[Ridgerunner]

what could have went wrong?

Several things. I'll give you these links so you can read though them and see if anything stands out. Sometimes they are just not meant to make it, something like a birth defect you can't do anything about. It's not always easy to figure out and it is not always your fault.

Mississippi State Incubation Troubleshooting

http://extension.msstate.edu/content/trouble-shooting-failures-egg-incubation

Illinois Incubation troubleshooting

http://urbanext.illinois.edu/eggs/res24-00.html

 

[Slickchick201]

Several things. I'll give you these links so you can read though them and see if anything stands out. Sometimes they are just not meant to make it, something like a birth defect you can't do anything about. It's not always easy to figure out and it is not always your fault.

Mississippi State Incubation Troubleshooting

http://extension.msstate.edu/content/trouble-shooting-failures-egg-incubation

Illinois Incubation troubleshooting

http://urbanext.illinois.edu/eggs/res24-00.html

Thank you. I will read through these.