The Float Test (Results) Need Advice- NEWBIE ;-)

[Jeepers-Peepers]

Hi ya'll!
My name is Becka- I have owned chickens since 2011.
This year, though, is my first experience hatching with an incubator.
We have 2- one we made from a styrofoam cooler (I hate it- it varies way too much) and one that is borrowed. Both are still air. The eggs in the borrowed one are not due to hatch for 9-10 more days.

The eggs in the cooler bator came from my friends chickens.
One egg is a few days ahead of the others- I noticed it early on during my 3 & 4 day candling to check for viability.
I put this egg on lockdown this past Sunday because upon candling then it looked like it was day 17 or 18.

There has been NO pipping- no movement from this egg.
The other eggs went into lockdown Weds night- their hatch date will be this Sunday (or maybe later because my temp ranges between 99 and 100 F). My worrying about this first egg really got the best of me- so I performed the float test. It IS still alive and viable- rocking and rolling. I candled before it in the bator to see if there is internal pipping and there is not. However, the air sac seems to be taking up half the egg (it is a Silkie egg). When do I intervene with this egg? We already lost one this week before lockdown due to the air sac rupturing.

I need advice please <3

 

[CarolinaHen]

Don't rush the hatch. They will pip when they are ready. Even though it may look ready from the outside, you can't tell what's going on inside. The chick has a lot of yolk to absorb and a lot of veins to dry up. Be patient and leave it in the incubator.

Oh, and

 

[Jeepers-Peepers]

Thank you <3
This cooler bator has me on pins and needles!
We had a few heat spikes and I worry about chicks being deformed or malpositioned - the other incubator I have zero anxiety over... It is always stable!

Before you answered me I got my hand wet and candled it once more and could see the bottom part of the air sac bulging and moving - there could possibly be an internal pip at the "pointed" area at the bottom (where the membrane is attached to the bottom making it look like the point of a triangle- not sure if that makes sense) after putting it back in it started rocking a bit. I feel a million times better now!

 

[CarolinaHen]

The waiting is the hardest part of hatching

 

[Jeepers-Peepers]

It REALLY is!
My stomach is flipping around LOL

 

[lazy gardener]

If I understand what you are saying, the area you describe is the most likely location for the pip. Patience.... step away from the incubator!!! Happy hatching!

 

[Jeepers-Peepers]

That's is what I was thinking, too lazy gardener! If that IS the case the pip will be on the bottom of the egg. Should I be concerned over that?

 

[lazy gardener]

I can't answer that. Perhaps someone with more experience will chime in. My tendency would be to not touch.

 

[Jeepers-Peepers]

I'm really hoping I don't have to do anything- I would prefer not to... I swear sometimes reading and researching too much adversely affects my judgement. But I know new hatchers have a tendency to jump into action unfounded and kill a chick- which is what I DO NOT want to do. So, my brain tells me "hands off"!!!!!

 

[CarolinaHen]

Hands off is right. Tape it shut if you have to. Don't open it! Mother Nature knows what she's doing.