Unhatched eggs

[kevinmichael93]

Is it true that if an egg floats there isn't a live chick inside?

 

[sourland]

No.

 

[007Sean]

Howdy, and No, myth! BTW, 'float testing' is passe....better to candle the eggs, to see if they are developing or not developing.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Is it true that if an egg floats there isn't a live chick inside?

No. That type of float test is that if the egg wiggles while floating there is a live chick inside. The egg is not going to wiggle on its own. If they are past when they should hatch they should all float. Once they lose enough moisture they should all float, whether there is a live chick in it or not.

I consider this test a desperate last minute test just before you toss them. If the egg has not pipped you aren't going to drown the chick inside, but it washes the bloom off and makes them more susceptible to infection. It's not something I'd do any earlier than just before I'd otherwise toss them.

You may be thinking of the other float test that people often do if the find a hidden nest. That test does not tell you if the egg is safe to eat or not. It just gives you an idea of how old the egg is. If it has lost enough moisture to float it is older than one that doesn't float. Nothing more than that.