Completely detached air cells

[lemurchaser]

I'm curious if eggs with completely detached air cells can hatch. I have a batch that must have gotten some really rough handling. The air cells are completely loose and some of the eggs even slosh (I can hear it) when I move them.

Any hope for these eggs?

I've had many with partially detached air cells, and it seems to decrease the hatch rate, but I get some chicks. I've never seen them this bad.

 

[blessedchickenmama7]

Many of the eggs in my bator have detached air cells. I am only on day 8, but I do see signs of at least early development in at least a couple, maybe more, but I am an inexperienced candler, so take that for what it's worth. Will they make it to hatch?? I don't know. I did try the method mentioned on here of letting them sit for 24 hours, then putting them in the bator in the egg carton, pointy end down, and letting them sit for 3 days without turning, but I did turn the others (by hand). That is said to help the aircells "stabilize". That does appear to have happened in two of them. But the others are still "floating" around in there.

So I would say, absolutely, try it! You never know and when I searched, it's obvious some folks on here have had success with detached cells. Not scrambled eggs, but detached cells, yes.

 

[Paganbird]

I posted back in Aug/Sept about a hatch with all detached air cells. All of the 20 chicken eggs I received had detached air cells. About 8 were completely detached. I think 6 were cracked. At least half had badly, badly damaged air cells.
I hatched 6/20. I had put them in egg cartons (pointy-end down) and only slightly tilted them... I did NOT turn them.
So, yes, there is hope.
Good Luck.

ETA: Mine had been damaged during shipping... it was a mess. Here's the link: https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=231849
It's long, but I have some candling pics in there & info on the hatch... if you're bored!

 

[Ban seabhag]

I am trying several eggs with detached air cells and membrane right now for the first time. (I thought they were a lost cause before) It's encouraging that it has been at least somewhat successful, and that there is a way to go about it. I hate tossing, (or eating) those eggs if there is a chance. Here's hoping!

 

[lemurchaser]

I figure that they'll mostly develop okay (unless they really got scrambled). It's those last 3 days I'm worried about. Maybe I'll have them in a egg carton for hatching, to try to keep the air cell in the right place.

 

[blessedchickenmama7]

Lemurchaser,

That's my plan, to use an egg carton for hatching, too.

 

[Paganbird]

The hatching was the easy part... it was in the first 2 weeks that I lost the most.
6/20 hatched... that was in a cabinet incubator - extremely stable temps, constant correct humidity, almost perfect hatching conditions.
Only 2 that made it to lockdown didn't hatch. One pipped & quit... died in the shell, one never pipped the inner membrane. I did help one... she ended up with a crooked beak & curled toes. (I kept her, though, and still have her.)