Warm water trick to assess eggs works! UPDATE!! SUCCESS!!!

[zowieyellowflame]

Hello everyone, I have a broody that has been on way too many eggs. When she hatched 4, I waited 1 extra day after the last and then decided to remove the rest. I have been candling all along and there were several that were in the early stages (other hens kept laying with her so they are staggered) I got rid of all of these eggs. The ones that were completely solid worried me, but with the advice of someone, before tossing them, I put each one in a warm bowl of water. Many sunk and were still but 3 were moving. I am not talking little movements, but big, jerky noticable movements. Those 3 I quickly dried off and put back under mamma. This morning 1 is pipped and peeping and I can hear noises inside the other. Looks like maybe they will hatch today. Pretty exciting! Nice trick, though I don't think I would do it on younger eggs..... only the ones that are solid that could have a live chick in it. I also don't think I would do this just for fun. Only if you are going to toss the eggs to spare the mom the work.

 

[Goose and Fig]

Cool! I will keep this in mind for the next hatch.

 

[walkswithdog]

Yeah, I'd move too if you started drowning me. Still I'd be suspicious that a slow one might not move perceptably. Personally I'd have just put all the totally dark eggs back under momma or incubated them...

 

[Dirt Road]

That trick was used fairly commonly back before everyone had candlers. I remember watching my mother do that, more years ago than I like to remember. It definitely works.

Jim

 

[roche477]

Yes, it used to be a very popular way of checking eggs, BUT you have to be very careful of the temperature of the water or you will cook them!

 

[Critter Crazed]

That's really cool! I never heard of that before. I will definetly try that but only if I absolutely need to. Which I hope I won't..

What should the temperature of the water be?

 

[SpringChickens]

Sounds like a neat trick!!

 

[enola]

It is an old trick that my grandmother used.

I use 2 incubators, one to incubate and one to hatch. I do use a candler, because the more eggs that are not developing, the more you can replace with other fertile eggs.

Before I put the eggs in the hatcher, I "float" them for a few seconds. If chicks are not kicking by day 19, it more than likely will not hatch.

I use a Little Giant incubator and this trick and still get 95% hatch rate.

The eggs are not in the water long enough to drown the chicks, and you don't have to worry about washing off the "protective layer", since the chicks are going to hatch in a day or two anyway.

PS. I posted this one time before, and everyone basically ignored it.

 

[zowieyellowflame]

Yes, pretty cool advice I got! One chick has hatched, one egg seems to be dead and one is struggling out of the shell. (this one is having problems, it may not make it, tried to come out of the air space end, rather than the middle, weird. it was suffocating, we had to help a little, not sure. i never seen a chick come out the end)
One thing I wonder about this trick and a reason I think I would use it for only emergencies is moving the eggs during the last 18 days. What about that? Could me handling the eggs caused my latest chick to come out the wrong way?

 

[Dirt Road]

Quote:
Nope.

Jim