The Poultry Keeper

tammy68 · Posted: Wed Apr 23, 2008 7:51 pm Post subject: Incubated egg feels strange

I took the remaining egg out of the incubator to try in lukewarm water to see if it bobbed at all. I put it into the water and it immediately turned itself over and floated, but it will only stay round end upwards. It feels as though it is weighter towards the round end and it didn't bob at all. Am I wasting my time with it or is it still possible that it may have a live chick in it?

mojo · Posted: Wed Apr 23, 2008 8:46 pm Post subject:

leave it the incubby to full term

NannyP · Posted: Wed Apr 23, 2008 10:17 pm Post subject:

Definitely a live chick.....leave it in the incubator for a few more days.

tammy68 · Posted: Wed Apr 23, 2008 10:19 pm Post subject:

Aw thanks

kated · Joined: 01 Nov 2006 Posts: 1843 Location: norfolk

A fertile egg will always turn that way as the air sac is that end. If you let the egg settle in the warm water, and watched it carefully and you saw it bob up and down, it was alive. If it stayed still, that is usually a sign that life has gone Crying or Very sad

. Just occasionally the chick is still alive even when it doesn't bob, so it is worth waiting a bit longer.

tammy68 · Posted: Thu Apr 24, 2008 4:54 pm Post subject:

Ah, I understand. I have tried tweating at it and it didn't bob in water other than to put itself up the way it wanted to go. I wasn't sure if I didn't hear a faint tweating, but undecided and thought probably wishful thinking. Confused

It is almost 2 days overdue now so I will leave it a further 3 days; is that about right?

jaydee67 · Posted: Thu Apr 24, 2008 5:48 pm Post subject:

Yep - that's right.

tammy68 · Posted: Thu Apr 24, 2008 6:31 pm Post subject:

Why is it that eggs put in together and so therefore have exactly the same heat, humidity and any other conditions hatch out at such hugely different times? Surprised

mojo · Posted: Thu Apr 24, 2008 10:37 pm Post subject:

cause nature loves to keep us guessing........and also date of laying is differant so all are at differant stages of development

vanessa · Joined: 24 Sep 2005 Posts: 1235 Location: Correze

Exactly the same as human babies Wink

there's the "normal" length of time, and then there's "what happens in real life" Wink