I think I just unintentionally drowned my unborn chicks! Heelp!!!! :'(

[Nelaka]

OK, so I was testing to see if my eggs were still viable and alive by putting them in water and seeing if they moved...and they did?

But someone said that eggs were porous, so did I just kill my chicks??????

Would the heat lamp be able to evaporate the water out of the shell??????


Pleaseeeeeeeeeeee help?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Mahonri]

Don't ever put them in water.

Yes, you may have drowned your babies, but there is still hope.

Put them back in the bator and pray.

The best way to test viability is to 'Candle".. you use a high intensity light to look through the shell in a dark room.

I only candle twice during the 21 days. At day 10 and at day 18 prior to lockdown.

Good luck.

 

[Nelaka]

Thanks for the advice.

Anyone else have anymore advise?

Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeassssssssssssssssssseeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

I'm begging you!

 

[Mahonri]

A heat lamp at this point could make the situation worse.

Put them in the bator and pray.... then candle before lockdown and hope for the best.

 

[sonew123]

once you put them in lockdown-leave them alone-I cant stress this enough--do NOT open the bator to keep checking them-you will reduce your chances even more by doing so -be patient-go for a walk-sit on your hands-play with your kids something other than going in the bator...good luck

 

[Nelaka]

OK.

Thanks for replying.

Um, I do not have kids.

And also, I am already in lockdown. It's Day 21.

Yea, right now, you can smack me really hard if you want to.

 

[sonew123]

Quote:
ok-so since you dont have kids it makes it easier to pick up and just leave the house-go visit someone for a long time today

 

[Mahonri]

Don't beat yourself up.

This is how we learn.

Save your money and get a Hovabator for your next attempt.

 

[puredelite]

I only use this method after the eggs have been in the 'bator for over 22-23 days and have still not shown signs of hatching. I only leave them for a second and then if there is a sign of life dry and put them back in the 'bator. Have had some that went ahead and hatched out. After 23 days of incubating most eggs that haven't hatched are not going to anyway. This is my last effort to keep from throwing out a live chick. Like most have advised, best to not open the 'bator after day 18 lockdown.

 

[Pemburu]

Why all the worry? Eggs are porous... so is most everything else in life. As one poster said... floating is usually a last resort thing to do. And as others said... hands off during lockdown.... but.... There is a membrane in there.

It's not like you poked a hole in the side of the egg and did a float test. If you could drown an egg from a 20 second float test... then the egg would have already leached it's insides out before it got to day 21.

Molecular tension won't allow water to "rush" in through a tiny pore of an egg... then the membrane is there on the other side of the pore... which is porous also ... with smaller pores... ie breathing. So.... unless your chick has pipped the inside membrane... and you have a mini titanic for an egg shell.... you're not going to drown the chick with a quick float test.

Now before anyone jumps here... I'm not advocating float testing before it's past time for things to hatch ... .and you've candled the eggs .... and you know you didn't have some cool time in the incubator delaying the hatch.... it is usually a last resort... for eggs that you can't see inside well when you candle... quail eggs... EE... dark... dark brown etc...