Air cell on wrong end!!

[4-H chicken mom]

I am on day 8, so I candled the eggs tonight. Out of 15 eggs only two weren't developing. But what worrys me is that 7 eggs are developing the air cell on the small end of the egg. I have never had this happen before. Will the chicks be able to hatch this way? Are they doomed?

 

[speckledhen]

Are you sure? Did you shine a light through the big end of the egg, not the side of the egg? It will appear that there is an empty space on the pointy end till later in incubation. You won't see the air cell unless you tilt the egg onto it's "head" and shine light directly through the large end of the egg-it will seem dark and like the aircell is at the other end if you shine light through the small end or the side of the egg. Sounds like you've done this before, so maybe I'm completely off base. It is possible for the aircell to be in a wrong location after shipping.

 

[Tuffoldhen]

I agree with what Speckled is telling you...

 

[4-H chicken mom]

I am going to see if I can get some pics. When I tilt the egg so the light shines through the large end, there is not a definite air cell showing like on the other eggs. It looks like the chick is taking up the large end of the egg and all the space is at the pointed end. I have set the eggs up more instead of laying on their sides. Do you think gravity will make it fall to the other end?

 

[speckledhen]

No, not unless it was detached to begin with. Are these eggs a defined "egg shape" or more oval? Sometimes, when you can't tell that well where the aircell end should be, you can set them with the wrong end up in the first place. I have hens who lay that type egg sometimes where I have to candle to know where the aircell is in the first place.

 

[4-H chicken mom]

Well, I have taken 24 pics, but all I get is an orange egg.

I tried with all the settings on my digital camera, but they all come out just about the same. I can't see anything but an egg. If there are any camera buffs out there, how do they take those good candling pics you see online? Maybe my light is just too bright.

Out of the 7 eggs 4 definitly have a large and small end. The other 3, now that I am have them side by side, they do look about the same on both ends. So has anyone hatched an egg from the small end? Is is possible?

 

[tiki244]

do you have manual settings on your camera?

 

[Heidi]

I just ran into the same problem. I had speckled sussexs shipped to me (won on e-bay for 2.99) and 3 of those eggs air cell is on the wrong end. I was wondering if it was the weather, but I didn't have this problem with Cyn's eggs she sent me last December. The weather was just as cold. I'm only on day 7 so I can't help you with the fact if they will hatch or not. Only 1 is developing that has the air cell on the wrong end. Good luck.

 

[4-H chicken mom]

Hey tiki Hows the eggs? On the top on my camera I have, beside the auto pic, 8 funny little pictures, that I am ashamed of myself for not reading the manual yet on what they mean. I tried taking some pictures without the flash, but it just comes out orange. As far as a manual focus, no it doesn't have anything like that. Any suggestions?

 

[tiki244]

My eggs are doing ok so far, the incubator is holding real steady, I havent candled yet. They are on day 4.

Is it real dark when your taking picture or real light?