air pockets - different sizes, different shapes

[Kismet]

I just finished candling my eggs and everything looks pretty good. I have in this incubator (due on 7/9) Ameracaunas, White Leghorns, and Marans. And I noticed when candling that the airsacks of the Ameracaunas are pretty large and oddly shaped - not a nice ellipse at the top of the egg, but rather zigzaggy, scoopy down shape more than I have ever seen before. The Marans had much smaller air pockets but in the usual elliptical shape. It would seem that the humidity was too low for the Ameracaunas (egg evaporating too fast) and too high for the Marans (egg evaporating too slowly). The few Leghorns were somewhere in the middle between the two.

This makes me wonder whether the different breeds (and different eggshell porouness/ colors) evaporate at different rates. Should I not have put different breeds together in the same incubator?

It reminds me of when I made Christmas cookies with my mother as a kid. She insisted that each tray of cookies be the same size - no putting Santa Claus on the same tray as little stars - because the small ones cooked faster than the big ones.

I'd be interested whether others have noticed this.

 

[shelleyd2008]

Were the eggs shipped? If so, this would make the air cells be all different shapes. Just be glad the air cells weren't broken.....good luck!

 

[Germaine_11.20]

I have noted that also and posted somewhere. Never got a real answer.
So I do have 2 seperate incubators for the eggs. It is an experiment I am trying. The larger air cells go in the incubator and get more humidity. The smaller air cell eggs get regular humidity.
They should be hatching next week and I will see if they both hatch good or not.

 

[Kismet]

Thanks for your thoughts. I increased the humidity to about 49%. It was about 30. I'm due to hatch in five days. When I take out the turner, I'll increased the humidity to about 65. I will share the results!

Yes, the eggs were shipped. They came from East Texas, North Carolina, and Minnesota - all to New Hampshire.

 

[k2chickens]

Quote:
i got shipped eggs from VA and my air cells were just like yours. Be sure to increase your humid on lockdown more towards 70. My banty eggs hatched nicely around 66 to 67 but my Buff O. eggs had some problems with dry membrains. So if you have standard size eggs...i would go 70

 

[Kismet]

i got shipped eggs from VA and my air cells were just like yours. Be sure to increase your humid on lockdown more towards 70. My banty eggs hatched nicely around 66 to 67 but my Buff O. eggs had some problems with dry membrains. So if you have standard size eggs...i would go 70

Yes, my eggs are all standard size. Lockdown starts tonight, and I have startde to raise the humidity. I am taking your advise and will go to 70.
Thanks!​

 

[Pick-a-LilyFarm]

Hi Kismet...what town do you live in? I live in New Boston, NH, and I am going to either do lockdown tonight or tomorrow morning on my 10 remaining BBS Orpingtons. Good luck with your hatch!!

 

[Germaine_11.20]

On my first batch I kept it at about 75%. All but one hatched and that one was dead at about day 17. I did not have any stickie chicks so I am going to 75% again.
I am curious as to why some go lower? Can they have a difficult time at 75%

 

[Kismet]

Hi Pick-a-LilyFarm,

I'm from Harrisville - not too far away.

Good luck with your hatch, too. Keep in touch.