How long to keep unhatched eggs?

[SquaredCircleFarm]

We had a hen go broody, Gathering eggs for some time and then sitting on them. One has hatched, 3 days ago. I know that she, the baby, needs food and water now so I moved the chick and the mom to our Nursery. Two of the eggs burst, so I discarded them and took the rest inside to the incubator. How do I know which are viable, and how long to keep them in the incubator? Does the float test tell all, even if they are not necessarily late hatchlings?

 

[AlleysChicks]

Candle the eggs. Look for life.

 

[chuckachucka]

Have you candled the remaining eggs? If you have and they are solid dark inside apart from the air cell, look carefully for movement. The float test can be unreliable.

 

[SquaredCircleFarm]

I'm thinking some of these eggs are far behind the batching. She just kept collecting! Some could be two or more weeks behind. When does movement start? Thank you!

 

[SquaredCircleFarm]

I'm thinking some of these eggs are far behind the batching. She just kept collecting! Some could be two or more weeks behind. When does movement start? Thank you!

Hatchling, not baching!!!

 

[AlleysChicks]

I'm thinking some of these eggs are far behind the batching. She just kept collecting! Some could be two or more weeks behind. When does movement start? Thank you!

Here since they could be at different times use this chart to compare your eggs for how far along they are.
Any clear eggs toss.

 

[chuckachucka]

Movement starts within the first week. After four days you can see the heart beating. The embryo looks like a spider with the veins as the 'legs' and the heart in the middle. In the second week the embryo grows into a dark shadow that expands to fill the entire egg except the air cell.

To candle, Take the eggs into a dark room and shine a bright narrow-beam light through the egg, holding the egg so that the light shines through the wider end of the egg. The flashlight on the back of a cell phone works very well for this. Mark the air cells with pencil.

If you can, take photos of the candling and post here.