water testing baby chicks in eggs

[jenntucker2000]

hello I have a question. I have a week from today that my eggs should hatch.. tonight I filled a bowl with hot water from tap and put an egg in it to see if it would float, it sank I am not sure if its from maybe my bowl was not deep enough or to early to do this, but the egg did more some... it did not bobble and I think it was cuz it was touching the bottom... what does that mean? any help would be great and thanks

 

[NanaKat]

I water test eggs only if the eggshell is too dark for me to candle.

The temperature of the water should be 100 degrees...some tap water may be too hot. I use a thermometer to adjust the water temperature before setting the egg in the container. The container with the water needs to be deep enough for the egg to be covered with the water when you set the egg into the water. I like to use a container with 1/2 inch more water than the length of the egg.

The egg will then rise because of the air cell and float upright in the water. Once the egg has settled, the chick will begin to move causing bobbles or ripples in the water surface around the floating egg.

You mention that your egg did move some. If there was water above the top of your egg while the egg was touching the bottom but the egg was upright, then there may not have been something wrong with the egg air cell.

Air cells get larger as the amniotic fluid in the egg reduces while the chick develops. This air cell keeps the egg upright in the water. At 14 days, the air cell might not be large enough to rise above the surface of the water in the container.

 

[jenntucker2000]

Thanks the water was not deep enough it did not cover the whole egg and I will definitely get a temp thing to make sure thanks

 

[Mommaw]

I am on day 22 and only one has pipped. Should I try the water method on my Copper Maran eggs? Nothing else has happened to the others. Will adding the water to the incubator be a bad thing if the paper towel they are lying on gets wet in the process. I have them on a paper towel now. When I try to bring the humidity up to where it should be the paper towel gets wet and I changed it cause I was afraid of introducing bacteria..what should I do?

Thanks

 

[WalnutHill]

If you have one pipped, better not to open at present. Your eggs may all be a day late either from a miscalculation of the due date, or because of very slightly low temps (one half to one degree lower than optimal).