Very Confusing Float Test......

[MRoberts7]

I had 2 different hatch dates in my incubator (will NEVER do that again! :~) 13 were due to hatch on Sunday and 9 due to hatch yesterday. Of the first batch, all but 2 hatched. One of those, I heard peeping and the egg jumped in my hand on day 19 but nothing since then. Of the 2nd batch, all but 2 hatched as well. Its now day 24 for the first eggs and day 22 for the second batch and I still have these 4 that have not pipped or moved in at least 24 hours. All of these eggs were candled and had movement and appropriate growth right before lockdown. I did the float test but the results were very confusing. One egg sunk completely to the bottom but I saw this egg wiggling a ton on day 20 (Monday). Two of the other eggs floated at an angle with the air cell sticking out of the water (one from first batch and one from second) and one floated straight up and down with the air cell sticking out (from first batch). No obvious movement from any of them. I candled them and 2 had pipped the air cell but again, no noticeable movement. Not sure what to do with them other than leave them and wait? One due to hatch yesterday I am very invested in as I incubated 12 Americauna eggs from my favorite hen who was recently killed by a fox and only this one was fertile. Seemed to be growing properly although the blue egg was very hard to see into well when candled. But I definitely had veining and growth and also movement at least up until day 17. What do you guys think I should do if anything?

 

[trailrider330]

I would recommend leaving the remaining questionable eggs in the incubator until you are sure all have reached the 24/25 day mark. From what I have read, the float test is not reliable and should be used more to tell if an egg is fresh before eating vs. if there is a viable chick inside. Other than that, I would leave them alone. Mess with them too much and any chicks that could still hatch may have issues due to the humidity getting messed up from opening up the incubator.

 

[FridayYet]

X2. A lot of people get the "float test" confused.

If the egg shows ripples in the water while floating, then you know the chick inside is moving. No ripples, no movement. (Not necessarily dead though, but probably.)

It's common for a few chicks to die right at the end, nothing you can really do about it because often they were too weak to break the shell, malpositioned, etc.

For me - I'd just wait until 48 hours after the last one hatched and toss the eggs. If they can't hatch normally, I don't want those genetics being passed down in my flock, no matter what my heart says.

Of course, there are those that will tell you to open a small hole in the air cell and look for veins, then open the membrane and look for life, then assist the hatch.

Congratulations on your healthy chicks, no matter what you decide to do!

 

[lazy gardener]

Agreed. IMO, the float test is highly over-rated. It will indicate the size of the air cell. More air = more buoyancy, and as you stated, you are looking for water movement, or to see the egg wobbling in the water. Putting the egg in a gravity free environment makes it easier to see any movement. BUT... the chick may be resting... and not moving. So... I wouldn't ASSUME that no movement = dead chick. So, if that's the case, the whole test is a waste of time. Not to mention: very porous eggs will absorb water through those pores, which may make an already too wet egg even wetter inside.