Float Testing, Checking Egg Viability For Late Or Overdue Hatching

[Hanna710]

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

Day 22 and all barley float with just the top poking out. No rocking or movement seen. No piping either. I believe they may be dead

 

[ltrentin]

We placed our shipped eggs in the incubator on the night (9PM) of April 17. They had arrived a day prior. We have not yet (May 10) 10 AM seen any sign of pips or real movement. Many looked ok at candling but some were too dark of a shell to see anything. When would you suggest we try the float test?

 

[Nabiki]

Don't float test. It's a good way to kill chicks from a lot of the people here. I would only use a float test to see if an egg is edible or not.

Candling is a much better way to check, even with a thick shell.

 

[Urchickchic]

I’ve done the float test and had 10% of egg floating but no movement. Air cell had not changed since day 10. Dead chick inside. I would not float test until day 25. I would candle on day 23. This last clutch I set 17 eggs and 13 hatched. Two Yolkers and two quitters.
I have done it before and had better indicators. Again, fully formed but dead.

 

[KLAM]

Thanks for this great info! I have two eggs left in my incubator that haven’t pipped. The other 13 have completely hatched. It’s now day 22. So I floated these two. The first one I candled and it has a huge air sac and there was no movement an no sign of internal pip. I did the float test and no movement. Deceased I believe. Then I candled the second one. I can’t even see any amount of air sac and I couldn’t see movement. When I floated it, it started rocking and then I could faintly hear chirping. Yay, alive!! But why can’t I see any of the air sac? Is this a problem? It’s been a couple of hours and I can still hear occasional chirping in the incubator. Any help is appreciated. Thanks!

 

[JaeG]

Thanks for this great info! I have two eggs left in my incubator that haven’t pipped. The other 13 have completely hatched. It’s now day 22. So I floated these two. The first one I candled and it has a huge air sac and there was no movement an no sign of internal pip. I did the float test and no movement. Deceased I believe. Then I candled the second one. I can’t even see any amount of air sac and I couldn’t see movement. When I floated it, it started rocking and then I could faintly hear chirping. Yay, alive!! But why can’t I see any of the air sac? Is this a problem? It’s been a couple of hours and I can still hear occasional chirping in the incubator. Any help is appreciated. Thanks!

The air cell may have detached and settled somewhere else. If it is at the side it can be very difficult to see. If you can hear chirping then the chick has internally pipped somewhere, but finding out where can be very difficult. If there is no further progress in around 24 hours from when you started to hear chirping, or if the chirping stops, you may have to help the chick hatch. Sometimes they get themselves in the wrong position and don't have the ability to move to hatch successfully on their own. I always help out because we are artificially incubating so things can go wrong, especially if the eggs have been shipped (which messes with them even more).

 

[KLAM]

Thank you for responding! Before lock down I canceled all the eggs and drew the air sac and it was in the appropriate place on the large end of the egg. So could it move during the last few days?

 

[KLAM]

Thank you for responding! Before lock down I canceled all the eggs and drew the air sac and it was in the appropriate place on the large end of the egg. So could it move during the last few days?

*candled not canceled

 

[JaeG]

Thank you for responding! Before lock down I canceled all the eggs and drew the air sac and it was in the appropriate place on the large end of the egg. So could it move during the last few days?

That is odd. Perhaps the chick is malpositioned in some way and has ended up in the air cell somehow. Fingers crossed your little oddball makes it.

 

[Fenrisulfr]

As several mentioned before, I wouldn't suggest the float test.
Candle or hearing is much better and with no risk for the chick.

If you float test, the shell gets soaked with water and prevents the oxygene exchange till dried. Can cause to choke the chick.

If there is life in the egg, for my experience, you hear scribbling, scratching, pecking or even pipping.
If it is wobbling in the float test, you 100% hear the movement, too.

I prefer the hear test.