Float Testing, Checking Egg Viability For Late Or Overdue Hatching

[JJMR794]

Quote:
JJ, if you have floated a hummingbird egg, let alone hatch one, I will hang a picture of you on the wall and bring it offerings every day!

HAVENT SEEN ANY THAT I CAN GET MY HANDS ON OR I WOULD TRY

EVEN US HATCHAHOLICS HAVE OUR LIMITATIONS...

 

[Mahonri]

I don't think I would ever do this to an incubating egg.

 

[jenjscott]

They do this with whooping crane eggs, a very endangered species. I can guarantee if it was a threat to the chick, they wouldn't do it.

 

[oesdog]

Quote:
I did it with my eggs and its a pretty good cert!!! It was 100% acurate with mine!!!! NO I did not kill any chiks using this method - if I had not done this method I would have thrown away two viable chicks!!! Omlet and Blue hatched day 27 and day 28. If I didn;t float test they would have got binned with all the other dud eggs!!!!!!!

Oesdog

 

[aprophet]

Quote:
I did it with my eggs and its a pretty good cert!!! It was 100% acurate with mine!!!! NO I did not kill any chiks using this method - if I had not done this method I would have thrown away two viable chicks!!! Omlet and Blue hatched day 27 and day 28. If I didn;t float test they would have got binned with all the other dud eggs!!!!!!!

Oesdog

this is the same reason I do it the eggs are about to be thrown out anyways

 

[JJMR794]

Quote:
REST ASSURED IT IS SAFE AND ACCURATE. THERE'S A GREAT DEAL OF PROS AND HOBBYISTS ALIKE THAT USE THIS ON SOME OF THE MOST RARE, ORNIMENTAL, ENDANGERED AND HIGH DOLLAR EGGS KNOWN TO MAN. FLOAT TESTING HAS BEEN AROUND LONGER THAN ARTIFICIAL INCUBATION. BEST OF ALL IT WORKS ON EVERYTHING- NO MATTER HOW DARK COLLORED OR WHAT PATTERN IS... THIS TEST IS VERY COMMON IN PHEASANT HOBBY, DUE TO THE NATURE OF THE DARK COLORED THICK SHELLED EGGS IS WORKS LIKE A CHARM. IF FOLKS WHO ROUTINELY PAY UPWARDS OF 3 FIGURES FOR SHIPPED HATCHING( LOOK UP MONAL IMPEYAN PHEASANT EGGS FOR GIGGLES) EGGS WILL USE IT YOU BET ITS AS SAFE AS ANYWAY KNOWN .


BUT THEN AGAIN OUT THERE IN PHOENIX MANY TIMES OF THE YEAR ITS SO HOT YOU'D HAVE TROUBLE KEEPING ENOUGH WATER IN THE BOWL LONG ENOUGH TO GET THE TEST DONE

(WENT THERE A COUPLE OF TIMES--- GAWD IT WAS HOT!)

 

[tuesdays chicks]

What I don't understand is about the air sac. All eggs will get it whether fertilise or not. How often you go to boil an egg and it stands on end because its air sac. This is really confusing me. And what if you had your humidity way down wouldn't you have a hi floater. I'm really just thinking out loud .when is the soonest you can do the float test safely?

 

[Tam'ra of Rainbow Vortex]

Such a helpful thread! Thanks for posting.
I have sporatic and incompetant hens who go broody, then switch nests, confuse me and the roomies, and I never want to throw out eggs that have a chance at living.

ETA:
Would it work on mid-cycle eggs? Like if a hen was setting, then gave up/vanished and I found the nest full of eggs- could it tell me if it was worth getting an incubator to save them?

 

[JJMR794]

OK BIRD REPRODUCTIVE BIOLOGY --- ANATOMY AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE EGG 101

EGG IS LAID BY HEN WITH A SMALL AIR SAC
---IF INFERTILE THE AIR SAC STAYS TINY--- NOT SUFFICIENT ENOUGH TO FLOAT THE EGG

---IF EGG DEHYDRATES EGG FLOATS HIGH IN THE WATER LIKE A FISHING BOBBER(50+% ABOVE THE WATER LINE)--- IF YOU GET THIS RESULT YOUR LACK OF HUMIDITY HAS KILLED JR, OR HE DIED OF NATURAL CAUSES AND THE EGG IS BUILDING UP SULFUR DIOXIDE GAS (HANDLE THESE VERY VERY GENTLY... AS THESE ARE THE ONES TO GO BOOM!

)

---IF EGG IS RIGHT WHERE IT SHOULD BE IN DEVELOPMENT THEN THE AIR SAC INCREASES STEADILY IN SIZE THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE INCUBATION PROCESS AND CAUSES A NORMAL FLOATER-- APPROX 25-30% OF THE EGG ABOVE THE WATER LINE. AND IF IT HAPPENS TO WIGGLE OR BE ROCKING AND ROLLING WHILE FLOATING IN STILL WATER? WELL NOW THATS JR REARRANGING THE PLACE OR MAYBE DANCING AROUND IN HIS UNDERWEAR OR WHATEVER--- BUT IT SHOWS HE IS ALIVE AND WELL.

RESULTS SHOULD BE ACCURATE AND READILY AVAILABLE AT MIDTERM OF INCUBATION.... BY THIS STAGE IN DEVELOPMENT THE AIR SAC HAS REACHED SUFFICIENT SIZE TO GIVE EASY TO READ RESULT- THO MOVEMENT WILL LIKELY NOT BE VISIBLE UNTIL LATE INCUBATION. ALSO THE RESULTS MAY CHANGE BY THE TIME YOU GO INTO LOCKDOWN...

NOW PERSONALLY I AM A BIT OF A PURIST... I DONT WASH EGGS (THE WHOLE "REMOVING THE BLOOM" THING...) SO I DONT FLOAT EGGS DURING INCUBATION. MUCH LIKE RON POPIEL'S SHOWTIME ROTISERY OVEN... I SET IT AND FORGET IT( I DO KEEP CLOSE TABS ON INCUBATION AS FAR AS TEMP/ HUMIDITY, AND LOOK FOR ANY BAD EGGS THROUGHOUT--- BUT I DONT PER SE' CANDLE FREQUENTLY OR ARBITRARILY FLOAT MY EGGS). AT THE TIME OF TRANSFER FROM INCUBATION TO HATCHER (LOCKDOWN) WOULD BE THE EARLIEST TIME I WOULD DO THIS AS FOR MY PRACTICES... I USE IT PRIMARILY FOR OVERDUE EGGS. I AM NOT THE TYPE THAT CHECKS EVERY EGG I HAVE EVERY DAY FOR VIENING AND ULTRASOUNDS OF JR AND HIS TEMPORARY HOUSING DECORATIONS AND WHATNOT.... 1ST OFF ITS NOT MY STYLE, AND 2ND I WOULD IN NO WAY HAVE TIME TO DO THIS BEHAVIOR IF I WAS SITTING HERE 24/7 BORED OUT OF MY MIND--- I JUST HAVE WAY TOO MANY EGGS COOKING AT ANY 1 TIME TO WORRY ABOUT THEM... I SET IT AND FORGET IT UNTIL TIME TO MOVE THEM TO MY HATCHER. IF AT THAT TIME I AM CONCERNED OR CURIOUS I MAY FLOAT THEM. BUT PRIMARILY WHEN THE HAVE GONE THE FULL 3 DAYS IN LOCKDOWN AND NOTHING HAS HAPPENED--- I FLOAT THEM. THIS IS MY WAY OF DETERMINING IF I TOSS THEM OR GIVE THEM ANOTHER 24-48 HRS AND A FIGHTING CHANCE AT LIFE.

 

[JJMR794]

Quote:
INFERTILE WILL NOT DEVELOPE ENOUGH TO FLOAT. AS THE CHICK DEVELOPS THE AIR SAC GETS BIGGER. NO DEVELOPMENT= NOT SUFFICIENT AIR VOLUME TO FLOAT THE EGG. THEY DO OFTEN TIMES STAND UP ON END IN THE BOTTOM OF THE WATER CONTAINER THO