Float Testing, Checking Egg Viability For Late Or Overdue Hatching

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Add 100 Degree Water To The Needed Level And Allow It To Settle( Quit Swirling And Calm Down)

100 F is 40 C for the rest of the world.
 
JJMR794 said:
Many Folks Are Having Eggs Go Overdue For Hatch And Wondering If They Are Duds, Late, Or Have Had Some Sort Of Fetal Demise.... The Float Test Is Simple Yet Effect Way Of Checking Egg Viability.

I Normally Give Eggs A Full 24 Hrs Overdue Before Float Testing. It Works On All Bird Eggs- Period! Takes Very Little Equipment Or Time To Do And Is Easy To Perform.


Start With A Bowl Of Sufficient Depth To Allow The Eggs Your Testing To Float Freely Or Sink. Add 100 Degree Water To The Needed Level And Allow It To Settle( Quit Swirling And Calm Down)

Once Settled Take The Egg Or Eggs To Be Tested And Gently Lower Them Into The Water With As Little Disturbance As Possible. You May Need To Wait A Few Minutes For The Water To Settle Again After Adding Egg/ Eggs. Then Just Watch....

Eggs Are Judged By Observation With Results As Follows:

1. Sinker= Dud, Never Developed

2. High Floater (like A Fishing Bobber Without Weights) Say 45% Or More Of The Egg Above The Water Line= Dud, No Development Or Fetal Demise, Likely Rupture Of Internal Membranes Causing The Egg To Dehydrate.

3. Low Floater= Viable Egg, Development Full Term

4. Low Floater Rockin And Rollin! This Is The Live Embryo Moving Inside The Egg= Definate Viable Egg!

Once Test Results Complete Take Viable Eggs And Gently Pat Dry And Replace In Hatcher. Duds Are Best Discarded At This Time.


It Should Be Noted All Eggs Warrant Close Inspection Prior To Float Testing--- Any Pips In The Shell? Do Not Float Test! If The Shell Is Broken, Pipped Or Cracked In Any Way Water May Enter And Drown The Chick Inside

This Test Works Off Of Air Cell Development With Embryo Growth. Infertile Eggs Will Have An Underdeveloped Or Absent Air Cell That Isnt Large Enough To Float The Egg....thus The Sinkers. Ruptured Membranes Will Allow The Egg To Dehydrate.... Thus The High Floater. Proper Development Of The Embryo Will Cause The Air Cell To Develope To The Point Where Viable Eggs Will Float With Approximately 10-15% Of The Egg Above The Water Line--- These Are The Viable Eggs. Obvious Movement Of The Egg Shows Signs Of Life For The Chick Within. Works On All Bird Eggs From Hummingbirds To Ostriches
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So you said if it sank it was a dud but I had one float just below the water and the other sank with the air sac side pointed up but was touching the bottom of the glass. I went ahead and cracked this and there was a fully formed chick inside! Obviously it wasn't alive. Is that what you mean by dud?? If so, very confusing language because I don't consider that a dud.
 
Has anyone done the float test on overdue eggs and saw slight movement and then had them hatch?

I had 5 coturnix Quail eggs left at day 21 (nearly 22), my other 9 eggs have hatched, the last hatchings were 2 days ago. I hate the idea of disposing of eggs that have live chicks in them. I did the float test and I'm pretty sure 4 of them had light movements, they floated a little above the surface. One floated very high and was also significantly lighter than the others, quite certain that one is mostly air. I'm wondering if anyone has had coturnix quail hatch later than day 21?
 
Rmec85 said:
Has anyone done the float test on overdue eggs and saw slight movement and then had them hatch?

I had 5 coturnix Quail eggs left at day 21 (nearly 22), my other 9 eggs have hatched, the last hatchings were 2 days ago. I hate the idea of disposing of eggs that have live chicks in them. I did the float test and I'm pretty sure 4 of them had light movements, they floated a little above the surface. One floated very high and was also significantly lighter than the others, quite certain that one is mostly air. I'm wondering if anyone has had coturnix quail hatch later than day 21?
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Candle the remaining eggs. A live egg will be full under the air cell and have a red tinge to it. A dead egg will have a watery layer between the air cell and the dead chick and the dead chick will sink towards the narrow end of the egg.. It will also look very black.
 
JaeG said:
Candle the remaining eggs. A live egg will be full under the air cell and have a red tinge to it. A dead egg will have a watery layer between the air cell and the dead chick and the dead chick will sink towards the narrow end of the egg.. It will also look very black.
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Thank you for replying. I tried to candle and could not see much, just dark patches. I have seen 3 of the 4 eggs wiggle slightly over the last 12 hours so I'm pretty sure they are alive. It's day 22 now... Not sure if I just give it a few days or if I need to help them out of their shells
 
Rmec85 said:
If they haven't pipped internally will that kill them? 😣
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Can you hear any kind of tapping noise if you hold the fat end up to your ear? If they haven't internally pipped by this stage it's unlikely they will hatch considering how long ago the others hatched, but it's worth having a look. Did the air cells look slanted to one side at all when you candled them? If the air cells haven't drawn down then that's not a good sign.

As long as the humidity stays high in your incubator and you keep an eye on the membrane so that it doesn't dry out (you can put oil on it carefully to keep it supple) opening the shell won't kill them.

This is a very good article about assisted hatching and well worth a read:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/step-by-step-guide-to-assisted-hatching.64660/
 

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