Float test prior to incubation question

[Bluemonster107]

I was watching a while back a YouTube video from “slightly redneck”.. regarding the topic of “improving your hatch rate”... so was going to try on my next batch... but had a question if anyone knows... so there is a float test he shows to see if the egg is viable but also seems to rehydrate eggs and then sprays with the listerene/water mix... okay, so my question is... would this be beneficial to do on shipped eggs and if so, do you let eggs sit the 24hr upon arrival AND THEN do the float and spray prior to placing in the incubator? Or do it as soon as receiving shipment AND THEN let sit the 24 hrs? My thought is let them sit/rest settle first but wanted to see what others have to say? Maybe even tried it‍

 

[le_bwah]

Think about the state eggs are hatched in under a mama hen (it's not like she has any Listerine lying around). The bloom does the job of preventing pathogens from entering the egg—why mess with it? As long as there aren't big blobs of poop or an eggs and your incubator is clean, pathogens aren't going to be the biggest threat to a hatch.

And to the best of my knowledge, float testing for viability pre-incubation is highly inaccurate. So you might accidentally keep a dud or throw out a perfectly viable egg. I've also heard that a water dunk can disrupt the exchange of gases through the shell. Best to set them all and pull the duds during candling later (or after hatch—safer with quail because they're in there for such a short time).

Some people float their late hatchers to see if the chick is still alive inside (it may wobble in warm water), but even that doesn't always work and comes with risks.

I've never tried either of those methods, but I've had 75-90% hatch rates on all my shipped eggs. I want to hear what other people have to say though. Maybe it's worked for them?

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Floating won't tell you jack about viability. And if they are fresh should not need rehydrating.

Happy hatching!

Incubation guide

 

[Bluemonster107]

@le_bwah ... glad you chimed in!!! Your guidance on all things coturnix quail have been so beneficial to me ... thank you!!
Yea.. wasn’t doing the float test to get rid of any eggs... I put them all in regardless... I was just watching the video and it seemed like he was saying the “rehydrate” was beneficial... I have no idea how or why it would be... since I am a total newbie... so I follow others guidance.... and do not know the actual science behind the statement.
And have no idea where the listerene idea even came from... just heard it and thought “hmmm... well maybe he’s on to something “?!?! Again... no clue.
My last hatch was 50% hatch rate and was totally happy with that.... didn’t do anything special... so if that was what should be expected on a mail order... then I will just continue on as I did

 

[Bluemonster107]

Floating won't tell you jack about viability. And if they are fresh should not need rehydrating.

Happy hatching!

Incubation guide

Nah... didn’t actually want to do it for viability... thought maybe “rehydrate “ was something new to try?... but I guess it isn’t really a “thing”??

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Nah... didn’t actually want to do it for viability... thought maybe “rehydrate “ was something new to try?... but I guess it isn’t really a “thing”??

I have heard of the listerine thing and spritzing them but never done it. Look more into if you wanna try. it's good to be curious! Since you have no real base line... ie the same flock on same feed and so on it will be hard to tell if it touches your hatch rate.. unless you test it hatching from your own flock with set parameters over a period of time.

As far as I can tell many of these things *may* raise hatch rate 1-2% which is substantial for hatcheries, but measly to back yarders.

Hatch rates can vary for sooo many reasons. 50% is acceptable for shipped eggs.. I have done much worse than that and spent WAY too much money. It can vary if they come from across the state or the country.

I usually don't wash eggs. But have washed (rinsed with water) a (feces) contaminated egg and had it hatch.

In that blue link for incubation starting on page 52 is where the reasons for hatch failure according to what day they quit and such. On shipped eggs... there's still a lot of things you can do.

If you're going to try it, I would probably let them settle first.

Depending on how far the eggs came from and how old they are, some people set them as soon as they come to room temp from shipping but don't turn for the first couple days. Do you know how many days your eggs were collected for and then spent in shipping?

Sounds like you have done this before.

Having your thermometer accurate is # 1 for increased hatch rate... after breeding stock genetics, age, and nutrition.

#2 IMO... is more turning.

I keep my bator below 45% for the first 18 days and ALL plugs out always.

Depending on weather... them shipped eggs could even already have some development.. (seen previously) mean possibly some early hatchers.

 

[007Sean]

Personally, I think float testing is a bunch of hooie! 1. Could introduce excess moisture into the egg, if the shell is very porous.
2. Could draw bacteria into the egg.
3. Really doesn't produce any useful information.
I don't wash my eggs, either. If they are that dirty I just don't set them.

One thing that I do with shipped eggs is, set the eggs as soon as they arrive...I'm in South Texas and the temps are usually pretty high here in the spring. I don't turn the eggs for 24 hours. The reason I do this is because 99% of the time the eggs have already started developing and if left out to settle at room temp, the embryos would die. Certain embryonic cells in the embryos start developing at temperatures of 68°F, I believe this and rough handling during shipping is the biggest factor in 'early' deaths (DIS) with shipped eggs.

The reason hatcheries 'wash' their eggs is to prevent introducing bacterial contamination. If they have a bacterial outbreak in their incubators, it could lead to economic ruin for the hatchery. They also disinfect the incubators before each hatch. It's really more detrimental for 'backyarders' to wash their eggs, due to the small quantity of eggs usually being incubated. It's better for the backyarder to disinfect the incubator than the egg.
Hope you have a great hatch!

 

[Bluemonster107]

I didn’t end up doing anything... agreed that I didn’t really have a base line to test against since this batch was a whole different variation (colors) so wouldn’t be the same as the last batch. The eggs took 3 days in travel and about 1-2 days “old”.. pretty hot out.. so once arrived I just let sit (point side down- packed that way anyway) for 24 hours... hope I didn’t screw anything up by just letting sit room temp as I didn’t even think about embryo developing in travel already!!

 

[007Sean]

Most peeps don't think about the possibilities of the eggs already developing during transportation. There are many more 'risks' to shipped eggs than just the rough handling of the package by mail delivery personnel.
Hope you have a good hatch.