Float Test Question and Hearing a Chick

[BettyGoosie]

If a hen sits overtime on eggs and a float test is performed, if an egg was never fertilized will it still sink like it would when it was fresh, or will it float because by the time a few weeks have passed at incubation temps, it is rotten? And therefore it would be hard to tell if it was rotten or had a chick in it since they both float?

Is it always possible to hear a chick once they are close to hatching? Do you ever listen and it's quiet even though a chick is in there?

I have a stethoscope and was wondering if that would be useful in determining whether there is a live chick in there.

Thanks!

 

[WalnutHill]

The float test is good for fresh vs old eggs. It doesn't tell a thing about fertility or embryo development. However, if the egg bobs and dips in the water when you float test it, that will tell you that it is alive and well. If it doesn't, then it's inconclusive as the embryo may be resting.

After internal pip, slight clicking of the chick's breath can be heard, as well as subdued peeping. Rustling sounds can be heard before and after external pip. I just hold the fat end of the egg to my ear, but a stethoscope would be easier. I actually looked at them on Amazon the other day for that purpose.