float test at day 25--update

[Niss]

For those of you not familier with my constant worries I am a chicken newb, and this is my first attempt of any sort to incubate eggs. I have a broody starting on day 25. I did a float test this am and of 5 remaining eggs 4 were low floaters and one sunk. The sinker looked about the samw as one that broke on day 14ish. I have had bad luck candling and will invest in the correct light befor trying again.

I put the other 4 back, but what are the odds of them hatching?

 

[ShortCircuitRanch2332]

umm what are you incubating? are they in an incubator? or under a hen? if they are chickens they usually hatch on day 21 umm but if they are still alive they either had poor temps and are way late or are shrink wraped due to poor humidity which needs to be at about 70-75 in a bator

 

[Niss]

Yeah, sorry--chixken eggs under a hen. I know they are late, but are they hopeless?

edit to ask--Would eggs layed durring ivermectin wirhdraw be viable? have higher incidence of defects?

 

[Niss]

Update--we are now at day 26 (I think I origanally miscounted) and no chicks. I can't watch or listen for anything effectively because of the set up. I am trying to deside what to do, please, please advise me. i've listed options in the order they appeal to me, but i really don't know what is best. I'm new I really have no clue!

As I see it I can:
A) Let her sit until they hatch or explode.

B) Give her new eggs to start over with. However, I've dosed everyone with ivermectin in the meantime and I don't know if new eggs would be viable. She does get up daily to eat, drink, sometimes even scratch and dust bath, but I don't know how much I can let her do--also, if she's up that much are the eggs cooling to the point were developement is slowed so I should wait or to the point they die and she's a bad mama?

C) Try to give her babies. So far I'm only finding bantums and I really don't want more of those.

D) Atempt to break her brood.

 

[Farmer_Dan]

imo, pull the eggs out, discard them, give her 3 baby chicks to raise or just let her sit on the nest, likely she will give up in the next couple days and go back to scratching, pecking, and laying eggs.

 

[Niss]

One did...something today. It was dead and kinda wet and smushed, but the shell was crumbled away and the head was out of the membrain.
Should I check on the others--I've read some folks discuss puttimg a little hole into rhe air cell to look for progress?

Any idea what went wrong? Most people say they get good hatch rates with a broody. I used my own eggs ranging from 2.5 to.5 days old. Are my hens too old at 2-3 yrs? I don't want to try again if I am doomed to thos result...if the poor hen is doomed to this result.

 

[yinepu]

i would go ahead and poke a hole in the air cell to see what's going on in there

 

[I-Have-Happy-Hens]

I had a broody hen this spring we were taking the eggs from her some how she got one and I candeled it and it looked like it was on day 5 so we let her keep it, it hatched on day 26 with a perfect healthy Baby we did a float test on day 25 we had no hope for the baby because on day 20 some how it got out from under the hen in the dark and it got down to 43 that night, It was rockin and rollin so we put it back under the hen. That night when I was closing everybody up I looked under her and the egg had a small pip in it the next morning we had a little fuzzy dry chick.

 

[I-Have-Happy-Hens]

PS when we did the test it was floating at the very top of the bowl

 

[I-Have-Happy-Hens]

Sorry just saw how old this thread is