How to Tell if Overdue Eggs are Still Alive

[sylviethecochin]

Cool!

 

[Arya28]

So they egg with the clear stuff on the bottom- should we take that one out and do the float test to see if it’s a dud? We don’t want it to explode in their....

 

[sylviethecochin]

Every hatching egg is going to float. They lose mass when they incubate. @savannahRoos22 meant that if the chicks are alive, they'll move a little. Not something you can see, but enough to make them move in water.

Fluid probably means the chick is dead, but I would hold until you're absolutely positive it's not just unabsorbed. Mark where the fluid is today and see if it's still in the same place tomorrow. No movement=death.

So they egg with the clear stuff on the bottom- should we take that one out and do the float test to see if it’s a dud? We don’t want it to explode in their....

 

[Laodicia]

So they egg with the clear stuff on the bottom- should we take that one out and do the float test to see if it’s a dud? We don’t want it to explode in their....

these are sounding very much the same as one of my batches this spring. sounds like a malposition to me especially with 1 hatching with yolk unabsorbed. not necessarily dead. give it a little longer. tomorrow candle any that have no external pip. - no visible internal pip, and no chirps= do a float test. any that move put them back in for a few more days any that dont can be taken out.

 

[Arya28]

Ok so if we wait say 12 more hours, what are chances of that egg exploding? We don’t mind waiting for it, just don’t want it to hurt other eggs that could hatch, or the chick in there.

 

[sylviethecochin]

Honestly, I wouldn't worry about explosions unless the egg is completely rotten through--as in, chick development stopped more than a week ago. Unless that happened, there isn't enough time (or much room) to really build up enough gas to make the egg explode.

 

[Arya28]

If it is a Malposition, could it be because we had the eggs with pointy end up for 9 days (as per the instructions)? Would that be enough to confuse them like that?

 

[Arya28]

Honestly, I wouldn't worry about explosions unless the egg is completely rotten through--as in, chick development stopped more than a week ago. Unless that happened, there isn't enough time (or much room) to really build up enough gas to make the egg explode.

Ok thanks! Will let you know how it goes!

 

[sylviethecochin]

If it is a Malposition, could it be because we had the eggs with pointy end up for 9 days (as per the instructions)? Would that be enough to confuse them like that?

Nah, chicks move all the time. For the first while, they're really just floating around. The air cell (and the pressure the weight of the fluid could exert upon it, possibly breaking it) is the reason behind egg positioning, for the first two and a half weeks. About day sixteen is when the chick really starts to move into position. Chicks hatch mal-positioned all the time. They just need a little more help.

 

[Laodicia]

if your main concern is explosion take each egg out and smell them. if they're going to explode they wont smell like a fresh warm egg. They will smell off.