What's the longest your eggs have gone over 21 days ?

[Gagirly]

The hatch date on my eggs was yesterday and nothing has happened. I did the float test that I read about in the sticky and it indicates that the eggs are still good. Just curious...what is the longest any of you have had eggs go beyond the 21 days and still hatch ?

 

[Hens_And_Chicks]

25 days - worst hatch ever - my temp was off by a couple degrees and I did not know it. I named that chick Rambo - who turned out be a girl! Still have her! Can you hear the eggs peeping or chirping? You should be able to hear tapping as they work to break the egg too.

 

[Gagirly]

Sometimes I think I hear something, but hard to tell with background noise. Don't know if I'm hearing something or imagining it.

 

[Sphinx]

Gagirly, what do you mean the float test indicated they're still good? Like, are they wiggling in the water? That is absolutely good. How much they float (or not) is not as definitive. I've had eggs pass the float test just fine, and it turned out they never developed.

 

[gryeyes]

Several times I've had eggs go 24 days, and once, 25 days.

So now I just leave any that aren't hatched until the 26th day, just in case. I do not float test eggs I'm trying to hatch.

 

[MSH]

I had 25 days and of the 12 eggs I only had 4 survive I was off by a couple degrees and the ones that didn't hatch were fully developed just never hatched still don't know why I have 6 in the bater now due december 1 hoping for better results this time

I'll probably give the till the 6th just in case

 

[Gagirly]

There's a description of doing a float test if eggs have gone 24 past hatch date. If they sink, they're no good, if they float like a bobber on top of the water, they're no good and if they float with about 10% to 20% above the water, give them more time. Do all of you think I should wait until the 25th day ? Don't want to keep them if no hope, but at the same time, really don't want to dump an egg that would have hatched. The temp was off because I didn't know it had to be higher for a still air incubator. I've hatched 2 eggs that hatched right on time, but not sure what to do about these.

 

[OldChurchEggery1]

The longest I've waited is 23 days and only because some were still actively hatching as of the 22nd day. If nothing pips before 22 days and the temperature was stable the whole time, I'd write it off. If there are pips, I give them 'til the end of day 23 and that's it. By that point anything left alive is likely too weak to hatch on its own.

 

[Gagirly]

Well, today is day 22 and no pips. Thinking about giving them until the end of the day.

 

[Gypsy07]

Quote:
For a day past hatch date and with temps correct the whole way through the incubation, I'd be expecting to see those eggs rocking in the water. If they weren't, I'd not be feeling very hopeful. But as you know for sure your temps were too low the whole time, you shouldn't really be counting 21 days and expecting them to hatch on time. If your temps were low, they're going to be late. That's not to say that they definitely will hatch, just that if they do, they'll do it late. So don't expect to see any movement in the water just yet. they only rock when they're getting ready to pip the shell, and if yours are a bit behind in development, they just won't be at that point yet. If I were you, I'd pop them back in the bator and leave them until day 24. If nothing's happened by then, do the float test again and see what happens. Good luck!

I had a broody take 26 days to hatch out some eggs this summer, and the chicks were perfectly healthy. I reckon she wasn't sitting as solidly as she should have been for the first week or so and it slowed down the development of the eggs...