Air cell disappeared day 20? Do I check on it?!

[Mrs_P]

Hi all,

I am on day 20, have an egg that had been very active and had a good air cell yesterday, couldn't see an internal pip due to the way the egg was laying but could see the air cell by shining my torch through the side of the incubator.
This morning it is still moving just a tiny bit (egg moving) but there is absolutely no sign of the air cell at all and no pips, can't see inside the egg at all from outside the incubator.
I really want to check on it as I worry it is suffocating but I have 1 eggs that is currently unzipping and one that has externally pipped so I am scared to open the incubator.
Does anyone have any advise?

 

[SmiYa0126]

Hi! Baby internally pipped! Should externally pip soon. Keep an eye on it, however don't help too soon. I almost killed a chick doing that. It's a juggling act. What you could do is play chick sounds on YouTube, there's an eight hour recording on there. It helped my stragglers hatch.

 

[Mrs_P]

One chick is born so no need for YouTube! All my other eggs still had visible air cell after internally pipping, this one has nothing now, I'm worried the air has run out and is suffocating

 

[New duck mommy 2021]

One chick is born so no need for YouTube! All my other eggs still had visible air cell after internally pipping, this one has nothing now, I'm worried the air has run out and is suffocating

You can quickly open and pull the egg out to see if you can candle inside it shouldn’t drop the humidity

I have a school hatching right now and just lost 2 that were in the air cell but couldn’t crack the outside shell

 

[Ridgerunner]

If I considered this an emergency I'd open the incubator and deal with the emergency. It is possible you could shrink wrap a chick doing that but shrink wrap really doesn't happen that often. I weigh the emergency against the risk and decide.

I cannot imagine what could have happened where the air cell would just go away. I suspect it has something to do with the candling, especially with that awkward method of shining a light from outside the incubator. I'm not there looking at it so I'm not sure what is going on, it has to be your decision since you are on site. From what you've said I'd be very reluctant to open it.

 

[Mrs_P]

Hi all, thanks for the advice, candled once 2 other chicks were born and was all OK, chick hatched this morning and is huge!

 

[SmiYa0126]

Hi all, thanks for the advice, candled once 2 other chicks were born and was all OK, chick hatched this morning and is huge!

Post pictures! Also, how tired are you?

 

[Mrs_P]

I was soooo tired!! Here they are at 1 day old, they are 3 weeks now and doing great