Egg development q-what does detached air cell looks like?

[Mama2B&D&...Chickens]

We had a little situation this am where my "trustee" Broody was OFF her eggs she's been sitting on for 5 days (shipped eggs)....couldn't have been for long but I know what happened...one of my other girls snuck in (fixing the wire tonight) and instead of laying in the nice pretty clean nesting box next door she laid on TOP of Daisy.

So Daisy moved over and left her eggs???!!! Sitting on air? I moved them all back under her but candled a couple bc at this point i was (ticked and devastated and had no idea what else to do but though I'd check and see if they were duds)

Anyways, there was something in all three I candled, good veins and all BUT they looked weird!? I wish I had a pic but the development looked like if you held the egg pointed side down these eggs were developing more on a vertical side then a horizontal side? Does that make sense? Like my ones in the bator that are upright in a turner are developing on the big side with bigger space at the pointy end and these have air space to the side?

I really don't know what to do at this point....would bringing them in and putting them in the bator correct and try and get the air cell back up? I thought the broodies would be their best bet but IDK? I did let them settle the 24 hrs too...

 

[Mama2B&D&...Chickens]

Anyone? Would moving them from broody into bator upright help there air sacks?

 

[tec27]

you're thinking about this way too much. just let it go and see what happens. after 5 days of incubation, moving them inside wouldnt do any good. You already started the process so just let things unravel.

 

[sumi]

You are 7 days into the incubation now? You have plenty time to get the air cells sorted. Swap your broody some fresh fertile eggs to keep her sweet and place the shipped eggs upright in an incubator. Cut the bottoms out of egg cartons and put the eggs in there to keep them in position. Place the eggs at a 45* angle and tilt them, from left/right to upright, then over to the left/right, then upright, then over to the opposite direction again, instead of turning them. It may take a few days for the air cell to get back into the position it should be though, so complete the incubation like that and if you are 100% the air sac is fine, lay the eggs down on their sides for hatch. Good luck with your hatch!

 

[Mama2B&D&...Chickens]

you're thinking about this way too much. just let it go and see what happens. after 5 days of incubation, moving them inside wouldnt do any good. You already started the process so just let things unravel. 

Your right I am, I should have definitely tried out less valuable eggs first in the incubator but the 12 under mommas Im just praying something can hatch for them and I'm just not even going to touch them until something hopefully hatches! I just need to forget about them and figure out what went wrong later...

 

[Mama2B&D&...Chickens]

You are 7 days into the incubation now? You have plenty time to get the air cells sorted. Swap your broody some fresh fertile eggs to keep her sweet and place the shipped eggs upright in an incubator. Cut the bottoms out of egg cartons and put the eggs in there to keep them in position. Place the eggs at a 45* angle and tilt them, from left/right to upright, then over to the left/right, then upright, then over to the opposite direction again, instead of turning them. It may take a few days for the air cell to get back into the position it should be though, so complete the incubation like that and if you are 100% the air sac is fine, lay the eggs down on their sides for hatch. Good luck with your hatch!

Thanks so much for your advice! The more I think about it I may just leave them with the broodies...I don't trust myself yet with the incubator and checked the eggs again in bator (I know I shouldn't be) but most had blood rings now that we're in the bator and Looked completely perfect two days ago so I feel "****** if I do, ****** if I don't" kinda now I think they might have better odds if I just leave them be and stop messing with them and over thinking things...

 

[sumi]

No, you are not over thinking things. You are trying to get the best from your hatch. And with shipped eggs that often does require a bit of thinking and planning and sometimes changes of plans. The problem I foresee with the detached air cell is that it could result in a malpositioned chick, as it is positioned in an area in the egg where it shouldn't be. It should be developing at the fat end of the egg, leaving the rest of the space for the chick to grow and get into position for hatching, roughly on the 14th day of incubation. When hatch day comes the chick will start the hatch by pipping internally. Normally the chick should be positioned to pip into the air sac, where it's expecting the air cell to be: in the fat end of the egg. This allows the chick to breathe while it starts working on pipping externally, through the shell. With the air cell on the side and the chick possibly malpositioned as a result of that, this hatch may not be successful.

 

[Mama2B&D&...Chickens]

Gotcha. Well my biggest rookie mistake was candling at the wrong end so I re candled during my broodies break and there is a small air sac on the pointed end!!!! :O Im an idiot lol, and I've done this before with my broodies and candled them fine, idk what I was thinking this time but I'm so anxious and nervous over wanting so badly these Orpington chicks! But anyways they still look "different" too me! especially the growth!? Like the air sacs are small and I see like the membrane and veins but they look dark to me and one even had something (thought movement at first) in it moving around...probably the embryo and I'm guessing that ones newly expired? So just going to wait it out, hope nothing explodes and put my hands together till hatch day! Thank goodness incubation is only 21 days or idk if my stress level could take it! haha! Thanks so much for your help...I will learn from this definetely!

 

[sumi]

If you place the eggs in an incubator with the fat end up the air cells can still get into the right position. Unfortunately an air cell in the pointy end is not ideal either... It really needs to be in the fat end. What sometimes happen in these cases is that the chick will pip directly through the shell and it may be able to hatch unassisted, but it's still a risk. The air cell will be small after 7 days. Here's an illustration that shows the growth as it should be at days 7, 14 and 18:

 

[Mama2B&D&...Chickens]

If you place the eggs in an incubator with the fat end up the air cells can still get into the right position. Unfortunately an air cell in the pointy end is not ideal either... It really needs to be in the fat end. What sometimes happen in these cases is that the chick will pip directly through the shell and it may be able to hatch unassisted, but it's still a risk. The air cell will be small after 7 days. Here's an illustration that shows the growth as it should be at days 7, 14 and 18:

I actually think that the air cell did look like that in the picture once I candled the right end today should I check them again at 14 and/or 18 days under broody or just let them go? part of me thinks less I touch, better it might help the outcome? now the eggs in bator, I'm nervous to leave for too long if there bad but Im going to try and wait till 14 days and then take the bads out which is probably the majority of them...would you take the blood rings out yet or wait till 14?