Air cell on wrong end of shipped egg..what to do?

[Orca5094]

Hi all! I need some advice:

So, I received 14 shipped duck eggs last week and unfortunately, all had some kind of air cell damage from shipping. Except one which had a completely intact air cell...on the wrong end of the egg. >.< After 7 days of incubating with large end up like all the others, of course this egg is one of the very few that is developing.

I only put this egg in the incubator just to see what happened, but didn't expect it to be one of the good ones. Now, should I keep incubating with large end up even though the air cell is in the small end of the egg? Is it too late now to turn it over and incubate with air cell up? Should I even do that?? Is there any hope of this egg hatching out? I have never had an egg come up with an air cell on the wrong end before so I'm unsure what the best course of action is at this point.

And just FYI, I have been turning the eggs 3 times a day for the past 4 days by propping up one side of the egg cartons they are in with small blocks of wood. For the first 3 days I did not turn them at all, just had them sit large end up in egg cartons. This was to help stabilize the damaged air cells, which seems to have helped alot with the ones that are developing. Still, I only have 5 out of 14 developing. Kind of sad, but not unexpected.

Thanks for any help! ^-^

 

[kittydoc]

Iwould set it air cell up until lockdown. Candle to see if head/beak movement near the air cell. If yes, leave it air cell end up. If no, lay egg horizontally for lockdown. Watch it carefully, and when it pips, help it get all the through the shell asap so it can breathe free air. Don't give up. One of my last bunch did this and survived...nice, strong chick. I had another drown because I wasn't there when it pipped wrong end AND facing down. It drowned. Good luck! And 5/14 isn't awful compared to a zero hatch, esp for shipped eggs. I only buy hatching eggs from as far as I feel like driving. Current batch was a 250 mi RT. 7/7 alive halfway through.

 

[Orca5094]

Ok, excellent. I will do that. Thanks so much for your help!

Yes, I really would prefer not to get shipped eggs again in the future. I'm exploring other options. For now I'm hoping to get at least a couple little guys to hatch out from this shipment. Fingers crossed!

 

[Orca5094]

Just wanted to update that this egg did not make it. It died sometime between Day 7 and Day 14. It was worth a try, but I didn't have high hopes for it. I also lost one of the others during that period as well, so I have just 3 eggs left now. They are doing great though, and due to hatch in 6 days. Hoping they all hatch out ok, despite their saddle-shaped air cells. Fingers crossed!

 

[kittydoc]

Just wanted to update that this egg did not make it. It died sometime between Day 7 and Day 14. It was worth a try, but I didn't have high hopes for it. I also lost one of the others during that period as well, so I have just 3 eggs left now. They are doing great though, and due to hatch in 6 days. Hoping they all hatch out ok, despite their saddle-shaped air cells. Fingers crossed!

I wouldn't worry about the shape of the air cells. I've had some that might be called saddle-shaped at that stage of development, and all have hatched. Fingers crossed for you that you have 3 healthy chicks in a few days!

 

[Orca5094]

Thank you! That's good to know. I'm new with incubating shipped eggs, so it's certainly been a learning experience.

One more question for you if you don't mind, though: Did you lay your saddle-shaped guys down flat for lock-down, or upright in egg cartons for hatch? I have been reading all kinds of stuff about how to best handle them and don't really know which is best. It seems wrong to set them upright in a carton to hatch, but I'm just thinking of normal eggs I guess. What do you think?

 

[spotsplus]

I've hatched using both egg cartons and laying them down. Both worked well. For your egg with the air cell problem I'd probably go with the carton and just keep an eye out once it starts to pip to see that it keeps progressing.

I would rather buy local than have to get shipped eggs but for the breed that I want I have to get shipped eggs. I was very dissapointed this past spring when I ordered 36 eggs and was sent a total of 48 with the extras (the extras not being the breed I wanted) and due to broken air cells the only chicks to hatch were 3 that were the extra eggs and not the breed I wanted.

Good luck with your eggs!

 

[Yorkshire Coop]

I've hatched using both egg cartons and laying them down. Both worked well. For your egg with the air cell problem I'd probably go with the carton and just keep an eye out once it starts to pip to see that it keeps progressing.

I would rather buy local than have to get shipped eggs but for the breed that I want I have to get shipped eggs. I was very dissapointed this past spring when I ordered 36 eggs and was sent a total of 48 with the extras (the extras not being the breed I wanted) and due to broken air cells the only chicks to hatch were 3 that were the extra eggs and not the breed I wanted.

Good luck with your eggs!

. Hi I would agree with spotsplus about using cartons for hatch. I found it great with them I had a 100% hatch with my last posted eggs. Good luck with your hatch.

 

[Orca5094]

Ok, thanks guys!

spotsplus: I feel your pain! All the eggs of the breed I wanted the most didn't make it past the first week of incubation (again! this was my second try). I had no other options but to buy shipped eggs in order to get some ducks to start up my flock. There were zero ducks/eggs available anywhere near me. But I'm hoping to be able to hatch my own eggs in the Spring.