Hatching question

[JordanV23]

My red quill hens eggs just started hatching on 02/27/15 she layed nine, six hatched one died one was rotten but there are still two eggs that she sits on,

is there a possibility that they are fertile

 

[sumi]

If she started incubating them all at the same time, no. Those two eggs will be long gone by now. If they were added to the clutch later on, candle them and check for viability before removing them. She really needs to be up and about with the chicks that did hatch by now.

 

[JordanV23]

That's the thing she gets up and out and shows the chicks the food but when they start eating she goes back to lay on the other two eggs

 

[lazy gardener]

Can you do a float test on them? If they are viable, it would be tricky to do without discouraging her from finishing the job. Do you have any option to finish incubating them in the house if they are viable?

 

[JordanV23]

I could do a float test but I'm not really sure how that works

 

[lazy gardener]

Go to the learning center, or type the topic in the search bar at the top of the page. Have you read "hatching 101"?

 

[JordanV23]

I know about hatching but this is the first time this has happened to me

 

[JordanV23]

Just to make myself clear idk what to look for when found a float test

 

[JordanV23]

*doing

 

[sumi]

The float test is not 100% accurate. I've heard of member testing eggs this way and tossing the unresponsive eggs, only to find them hatching in the rubbish bin later. So I'd vote for candling them. Have you got a nice strong flashlight? Find a dark spot and place the egg snugly over the light, so it shines into the eggs. If the egg is roughly 80%-90% dark with a clear air cell somebody's home. I'll post a link with some candling pics for you in a sec...

Here you go: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...dling-pics-progression-though-incubation/0_30