Float test - a word of warning!

[McChooky]

I though OP was saying that opening the egg killed the chick.
But OP would not have opened the egg, if they had not float-tested the egg and seen it sink.

So the float test caused the person to open the egg, and opening the egg caused the death.

I was a bit distracted by AT&T closing my cell phone account over my phone not being 5 G compatible. Completely missed she opened the shell on day 18 & it wasn't due yet.Thanks!

 

[TheFatBlueCat]

Good warning thank you. I've always been far too nervous to float test until well past hatch due date as a 'last ditch' attempt.

I find that my cellphone light shone at an angle is the best at seeing into dark eggs, but I can only see air sack and I only check at day 18, when it's very clear between air sack and the dark rest of the egg. Maybe your eggs were so dark even that wouldn't have worked though.

Eggs are pretty robust. I hatch with broodies and have all sorts of odd happenings. Exploding eggs all over the other eggs, knocked about eggs, eggs left to get cold... I still get good enough hatch rates (unless the climactic humidity is too high). The less you worry and check the better in my book. Easier said than done though!

 

[McChooky]

Theres a time and place for float tests. If you can't determine whether they're alive or not you run the risk having rotten eggs exploding all over the other eggs.

 

[PersimmonLane]

I wanted to share a pretty horrible experience in the hope I can help others avoid something similar.

Currently hatching half a dozen eggs from a copper blue Marans hen - beautiful chocolate dark brown eggs.

I’ve found candling particularly challenging due to the darkness of the eggs, but found a few online guides and videos recommending that for dark eggs the float test was a good idea at 17-18 days before lockdown.

Perhaps foolishly I followed this advice, and five out of the six eggs passed with flying colours. The sixth not only showed no movement, but the egg didn’t float either. All the guides I’ve read said this means either dud to start with or died along the way.

So I popped the five back in and out of sheer curiosity opened the sixth to see how far along it got before dying. To my absolute devastation I could still see a flicker of movement and what looked for a few moments like a little heart beat. I’m now sure the egg was viable before my intervention.

I feel like a murderer and a fool for following the advice. Totally devastated. I don’t know why it didn’t float - perhaps it proves the air sac wasn’t right and the chick maybe wouldn’t have made it.

But I do know it had a chance.

Please don’t do the float test. I know many people swear by it and many chicks have successfully hatched following it - but it’s clearly not reliable enough to trust.

Perhaps mark them next time? I candled mine and I had one egg that was iffy, so I marked it with an M for maybe. Marked the others with a G for good (and the date). The M still hasn’t hatched but at least it’s got a chance just in case! We have hatched 5 and have 2 left! One G and one M!

 

[UThobbyfarmer]

If you’re going to be hatching Marans treat yourself to a really nice rechargeable flashlight. Mine is 1250 lumens and cost about $30. I’ve had some really dark, 5/6, Marans eggs. It lights them up like you wouldn’t believe. Olive eggs are a bit trickier but if you candle them throughout incubation they aren’t that bad.

I’m so sorry your eggs didn’t make it. I’ve never been a fan of float testing. However I’d never wish this guilt on a person. There is so much that can go wrong with incubation. As long as you learn something it’s never in vain. It’s a steep learning curve. Hang in there. It’s worth it I promise.

 

[Debbie292d]

Thanks you for this - sorry but I don’t quite follow… when you say premature are you saying it wouldn’t have made it anyway?

That's my take. That even though it was truly alive, its air sac must've been too small, so there was most likely something wrong with this egg. The chick needs the air sac to breathe before it hatches, and this one having such a small one, it most likely would have died. But the whole moral of this story is, to me, don't be doing this UNTIL they are overdue by a day or two and we're desperate to know, and newbs like me candling isn't a sure thing either.