Air pockets filling with fluid after internal pipping.

[krista92]

My first time incubating and hatching eggs started out really positively. My first egg to go in hatched, even after it had been frozen. My second scared me at first but after a lot of super useful advice on here, it has made it through just fine. The next two eggs I had set to hatch decided to not be as easy. I only have one pair of geese so I just collect an egg and put it in the bater about every two days. So two days after my second gosling hatched, my third egg internally pipped. I could make out the beak when I candled but otherwise didn't hear any clicking like I had in the previous two. That made me a little worried. A day passed and still no clicking. I figured it died in there, especially when I would tilt it and I could see fluid moving in the air pocket. I wondered if it had anything to do with the fact that the air pocket had been on the side of the egg for the entire incubation period.

Low and behold though, the egg right after it had the same thing happen to it. This one I couldn't even make out the beak when I candled it after I noticed the dip down in the air pocket. Right away there was fluid moving in the air pocket. So today after the beak had left the air pocket in the first egg and the second one showed no signs of life, I punctured the air pockets and looked in. There was fluid and two fully developed, albeit dead, goslings.

So I'm wondering why this happened so I can prevent it in the future. The only thing I can find on the fluid being in the air pocket is about goslings puncturing the yolk and such. Since I had it happen to two in a row, I'm looking for some opinions. Thanks!

 

[Denninmi]

I had similar problems last year with quail. I since figured out that it was too high of humidity during the incubation process and especially during hatching. I followed the suggestions that came in the Brinsea manual, and was doing 50% during incubation and 70% at lockdown (the manual suggest 45 to 50 and 65 to 75 respecively, IIRC).

Anyway, after having a lot pip internally and die, I tried cutting way back on the humidity during the entire incubation period, and also keeping the vent fully open the entire time. I did my last couple of batches at 35 to 40 during incubation, and 55 to 58% during hatch, and I had much, much better results. They were popping out like popcorn on the last hatch.

I've got some pilgrim eggs in there now. Cognisant of the fact these are waterbirds and might need a little higher humidity than quail, I'm doing them at 43% for the incubation, and plan to go up to about 60 for the hatch, and I'll see how that works out. I've kept the vent fully open the entire time as well.

 

[krista92]

I generally spray them once a day with room temperature water and let them cool for a little bit. Otherwise everything is dry in there. Should I stop spraying them once a day? I've never actually measured the humidity inside the incubator though I would expect it runs the same as the house. It's been raining almost non stop so I suppose that would be a contributor.

When my last egg hatched my humidity was actually too low and he got a little shrink wrapped. It was quite the ordeal. But humidity is a real pain in the bottom. Thanks for the advice. Anything I can try to do to remedy this is more than worth a shot. I hope your pilgrims hatch out well though. Mine are proving to just get trickier and trickier to hatch out.

 

[shelleyd2008]

You need a humidity gauge. You would expect it to be the same as the house, but the room my incubators are in has at least 50% humidity but the incubator runs around 25-35% if I don't put any water in it. Most likely the humidity is too high and that's what is causing the fluid in the air cell.

 

[pete55]

Hi Krista92

Its always difficult for me to interpret problems without seeing the eggs but I do think the base problem is too high a humidity. The goslings' cardio systems were probably overloaded with fluid and they failed to make the physiological change to pulmonary respiration.

The shadow of the beak in the air cell normally indicates internal pipping but is not guaranteed to be so. It may push the beak against the membrane but if there's excess fluid there it makes it more 'rubbery' and it fails to tear/penetrate the membrane. ONLY when you can hear the rythmic clicking of respirtation can you say that internal pipping has definitely occurred.

Humidity is a problem and can vary even in different rooms within the house, a cool stable environment is the best and the cool environment temperature carries less water molecules.

My advice when guaging humidity is too combine this with weight loss measurement and then you have an accurate interpretation. The air cells with fluid in then is not unusual. Once the gosling dies there is rapid decomposition of the supporting membranes and vessels. The membrane has simply degenerated and allowed to fluid to pass into the air cell. In fact - fluid moving in the air cell is one of the indicators of embryonic death.

So its means dry incubation with weight monitoring, vents open to full and yes you did right to continue daily cooling.

Hope this explains your query and sets you on the right road for more sucess

Pete

 

[krista92]

Thanks both of you. I obviously need to search around for a humidity gauge. I just started marking the air cells with pencil as well so hopefully that's a step in the right direction. Before I just assessed them by eye but it would seem I need to get more technical. Thanks again!