Does the float test "kill" eggs!!???

[jfulcher]

I was just told doing the float test killed my eggs.... Is this true...

 

[Egghead_Jr]

Only if you used too hot or too cold of water. It's to be 98-100 F.

 

[jfulcher]

Quote:
It was 98-100 F... But someone said "The water test killed your eggs" so now I am in tears... Wondering if I should just toss them... And give up...

 

[jfulcher]

Today is hatch day and I haven't seen any movement or anything so I was just wondering if the float test was accurate... Now I am doubting everything..

 

[rebelcowboysnb]

I dont think it would kill them but its a test to do well after they should have hatched to see of any are still alive before throwing them out. Its not something I would do with what I would call good eggs.

 

[jfulcher]

Quote:
Well with the temp fluctuations my fellow byc'er told me it was safe to do to make sure they were developed... And not dead...

 

[jfulcher]

This is my first hatch.... I didn't kno... So I probably messed up bad.....

 

[yinepu]

Just give them a few more days. My mother used to float test eggs all the time and always had very successful hatches.

 

[LuvMyBLR]

Don't give up J! If these don't hatch I will go all the way to AZ and sneak button babies into your incubator at night! Just like with broodies!

Besides, you saw your egg "hop" way after you had done the float test, remember? So you definitely didn't kill them!

 

[Denninmi]

Don't float test them if they are externally pipped, or they can drown. With quail eggs, its hard to see the pip sometimes, the shells are dark and the hole is tiny.

Honestly, I understand this is your first hatch, and its hard emotionally, but the less you mess with the eggs the better. Put them in the incubator, candle them once if possible -- but with button quail eggs they're so dark there isn't much of a point in trying to candle them, move them once at lockdown if necessary, and otherwise just leave them alone. Try not to open the incubator any more than necessary to perform basic maintenance. In lieu of candling, at the halfway point you can do the "sniff test" to see if you detect any rotten eggs, which should of course be removed.

16 days is the minimum -- most of my quail eggs don't hatch on the 16 day schedule. I generally find a batch of quail eggs, button or coturnix, will hatch over a roughly 3 to 4 day period. A few at first, most on the 2nd day of the hatch period, with some stragglers on the last couple of days.