Float Testing, Checking Egg Viability For Late Or Overdue Hatching

[amberJala]

It is hard to intervene without the chick piping the shell at this stage your chick is probably way too tired to do that. If it is alive at all. 
Any movement could be decomp and your egg may very well explode! So be prepared for that. There are very few chicks that survive after their date have gone past. I really don;t think you can do much now. -
I would give it a few hours and check carefully to see if there is a pip. - Sometimes this is on the underside. Be aware that you cannot turn the egg or upset the balance as this disorientate =s the chick and makes it all worse. 
There is a link to helping a chick - It is at the top of the chick section. 

Sorry all I can do at the moment. 
Oesx 

Thank you so much!

 

[FlomatonsFlocks]

Float tests and eggtopsies I performed on 11 eggs that were on day 25 incubation (4 days overdue, showing no signs of life). We had issues with the temperature in the incubator about 4 days away from hatch day. Power outage caused temperature to go down in the 80's. Then when power came back the temperature spiked to 106 before coming down to normal temperature. I believe that is when 9 out of the 11 bad eggs died. We did get 10 chicks that hatched and are doing well!

Thank you so much! You did a wonderful job!

 

[hayls1812]

Hi everyone

My first time hatching.. I started with 6 eggs. On day 15th I found one broken she must have squashed it. Day 18 one pipped and hatched on day 19 Day 21 the hen has left the nest, eggs were cold when I found her off them. Candles the eggs and 2 look quite fully formed so we've put them under a lamp, one started to ooze so that's a gonna. I'm left with one egg.. just done float test with it, it floated and I'd say 15/20 % max was out of the water.. no movements though but I've put it back under the lamp on a wet paper towel. Does anyone have any views on whether it's dead or not?

 

[LuciaCatherine]

I used this method as a neighbor told me about it. I had so many eggs! I bout 12 and then Bertha had her own eggs under her and Elly had eggs under her.

In the end I had at least 18 odd eggs in the Incubator. But I knew we boild the bought eggs at the start as the temp went wrong and it was a disaster. I did keep them just in case but didn;t give much hope. Ells eggs ended up in the incubator because she died so I didn;t know if they would be ok or not as they went cold? Anyhow Berthas eggs hatched on time 21 and 22 days. - So I was left with all these eggs! at 24 days we did the water test as we were afraid of exploding eggs. I ended up tossing 11 of the bought eggs. We opened them and nothing was inside them at all! 1 egg tried to hatch and died so We had 7 left 1 from the bought eggs that deffinately moved and 6 from Ellys nest but I think they got mixed up at that stage and I couldn;t figure If I tossed any of Ellys or not? anyhow I had those left. - so we watched them and decided well they looked like they may be doing something. On the 27 th day Blue was hatched/ 28th day just as I was going to bung the rest I found a pip and Omlet was Hatched.
4 eggs remained and I waited as they had deffinately moved on day 23 when we did the test. Sadly they never hatched and on day 30 we finally gave up and opened them. They were perfectly formed baby birds - I am not sure if we accidently drwoned them as they seemed wet - though I think at that stage they were probably wet from rotting.
We lost one chick through shrink wrap - the one that couldn;t get out of the shell. We saved two by intervineing so its hard to tell. One thing I do know the water test was accurate in every way. - The eggs that were duds had nothing in them and the rest had chicks inside. - we never got it wrong. I would deffinatly do that again if I had late hatchers!

Would be terrible to thow one away that was just late wouldn;t it! - I mean if I followed the advice on dumping at 24/25 days - Omlet and Blue would not be here at all! They were very very late and very weak. Now 8weeks old and doing well !

Some folk advised against this method but I think it works and is better than killing a chick because you thought it was a dud and was just a late bloomer!

Oesdog -

 

[LuciaCatherine]

I have 10 chicken eggs on day 24, I just did the test, none sank, and all were the correct amount above water, I didn't wait to see if the moved. How low should I wait until I take the round top off to check?

 

[DwayneNLiz]

I have 10 chicken eggs on day 24, I just did the test, none sank, and all were the correct amount above water, I didn't wait to see if the moved. How low should I wait until I take the round top off to check?

have you candled?
if you tap the egg does it tap back?
what bator? what temps? was it calibrated? fan or still air?
sorry i'm so late

 

[tk10]

Hi, I have 3 goose eggs going, day 34. I've candled but am fairly new so it's difficult to tell exactly what's going on. I had a power outage a few days ago and the temp dipped into the 80s. There is no peeping but I thought I saw movement in at least 1. So I did a water test, none were rocking, but they were spinning slowly even after the water had settled. Does this for sure mean they are still alive at this point?
I mean, would non living eggs spin?

 

[JaeG]

Hi, I have 3 goose eggs going, day 34. I've candled but am fairly new so it's difficult to tell exactly what's going on. I had a power outage a few days ago and the temp dipped into the 80s. There is no peeping but I thought I saw movement in at least 1. So I did a water test, none were rocking, but they were spinning slowly even after the water had settled. Does this for sure mean they are still alive at this point?
I mean, would non living eggs spin?

A dip in temperature would've delayed them a bit. Unless the temperature was low for a sustained period of time I'd say they should be ok. As long as their internal temperature didn't drop too far. It's worth giving them at least a few more days.

I haven't hatched geese but the page I read said the incubation time was up to internal pip, then it could be 3 more days before they hatch. Fingers crossed and I hope something hatches for you.

 

[Butterflygirl50]

I just tried this on eggs that show a viable embryo and the eggs sank. 6 out of 10 and they are all good eggs?

What's up?

 

[DK newbie]

If you read the whole thread (yes, I know it's very long, but I did it at one point), you will find several posts telling you not to toss sinkers - that the only thing this test can be used for is to toss those that float really high. Sinkers might very well hatch just fine. There are also posts that say you put your eggs at risk by performing this test so you shouldn't do it at all as the result is usually worthless anyway (unless you have high floaters - but those might be so light you don't even need the float test to tell they won't hatch).