The float test helped me kill a chick

[CluckCluck18]

OMG!! Hatching my first batch of eggs and I'm on day 10! I have aracauna and black copper marans. Had some trouble with the BCM's......2 rotten with 1 that exploded.....luckily outside the bator. It's so hard to see into them even with a tactical flashlight....they are beautifully, chocolate brown. I read on this site to try the float test and did that tonight taking out 7 araucanas and when I opened the sinkers they were all non viable. I hate to give up on the marans....I only have 8 left and 3 were sinkers in the float test. Cracked one open and out came a perfectly formed darling little chick with a heartbeat for God's sake. I am so upset, I feel like I could cry.....I killed something! Should I leave the other 2 even though they were sinkers ? I feel awful about this. I hate the float test

 

[yinepu]

why did you float test on day 10?.. the float test is for eggs that have gone PAST the hatch date..

if you can't tell by candling.. and if the egg doesn't stink.. then leave them in the bator...

 

[Sphinx]

Yes, the float test is something that won't really be accurate until at least day 18-20. It's most commonly done on eggs that are on day 22+.


The darker eggs are much harder to see through. Have patience, grasshopper. (I say that because I have a tough time candling eggs due to dark shells, and just try to sit on my hands and wait)

 

[CluckCluck18]

Thanks alot for getting back to me....now I still feel awful and also like a big dope!

 

[SkyWarrior]

Quote:
We all make mistakes. Don't beat yourself up on it.

Now you know.

 

[Christie Rhae]

I also killed a chick on day 10. I was "expertly" deciding which eggs had chicks in them and which didnt. On day 10 I decided to evict 7 eggs from the incubator. Not that they were stinky...not that I needed the room. I was just a dork and thought I knew what I was doing. Decided to crack a couple eggs open just to see where they stopped developing. First one had just a little black blob...second one......... perfect little 10 day live chick. Wiggling it's little wings on a paper plate on my counter. I cried.... and vowed to never kick out an egg again until it was oozing.
So, I understand... it sucks... just learn.

 

[healthyasdotme]

Quote:
Hi Cluckcluck18, I know how you feel. I read somewhere (before I found this wonderful site) that eggs cant get cold or the forming chick dies. When I found 7 nesting eggs all stone cold I removed them from the nest. I kept them aside to make sure we didnt crack them into scrambed eggs. Still not knowing anything and believing them dead I cracked them into a plate just checking before going to use them. 3 had been fertile and had very advanced chicks in them, only maybe 5 days away from hatching.

I was so upset that these little creations and 'should be living' beautiful babies had died. Beside myself I googled and found this site. Then found out about candling and asked questions about eggs going cold. I have not established if this late in the development whether they would have already been dead and the answers to the posts indicated I think maybe they may have been alright - I am not sure if that is the right interpretation of the answer - but I still felt I had killed them and it is so devastating when they would have been my first babies

But you cant beat yourself up from not knowing or not having the info. And it is okay to express your frustration and sadness. And I bet just about all of the members on this forum have experienced something like this one way or another. Just do the best you can do for your other chicks and dont worry if the eggs are fertile or not, just leave them in there and see what happens? Hope this helps you feel better.

 

[CluckCluck18]

You guys all rock! Thanks so much for the love and support. I got soooo eggs-cited about a way to figure out the chocolate eggs that I forgot to pay attention and use my common sense! Thanks again