Hatching saddled air sacs - upright vs. on side

[WVduckchick]

I just realized that start of hatch potentially is Friday the 13th.

Oh you aren't superstitious are you?
it'll be fine!

 

[WVduckchick]

Let me put it this way, I come from a long, long line of CRAZY Russian women who initiated superstitions! Don't pass the salt directly to me, put it down first. Don't put shoes on a chair. Don't look at a new moon through glass, and if you do, you must stop what you are doing and undo the 'bad luck' by spitting on your thumb and turning three times anti clockwise.... (this includes pulling off to the side of the road if you should happen to see the new moon BY MISTAKE through the windshield) need I say more? However, the friday the 13th thing doesn't really figure into all this other silliness, so yes, it will all be fine. Oh, and the black cat thing.... super good luck you'll be happy to know.

Wow, you are batty!
Teasing of course, my friend.

Oops, that's a bummer. Is there a chance they will be OK? And yes, we have very good taste!

Eh, I fixed it, will candle them in the morning. I'm using a huge "food service cart", those things they serve hot food from in the hospitals? And it has a "proof" setting for making bread rise. I turned it on to proof instead of heat, and my therms were showing 109F. This was several hours, so they are likely goners, but I won't toss them just yet.

 

[MeganlovesJesus]

I lay them down on their sides with the lowest part of the saddle up. So far, I've never had any issues doing it that way

I have slightly detached air, sacs or saddled. I’m not really sure the difference they look slightly saddled, and the air sack moves within where it’s slightly saddled. It’s all stays at the blunt end of the egg is that saddled when the air sac moves within the saddle.

 

[RcoM]

View attachment 1291859 Hey there! I did end up laying them all on their side. Of the 5 total, one had died several days before lockdown, so I just took it out. But the remaining 4 with saddled air sacs hatched out beautifully on their sides. I was just sure to place the largest end of the air sac facing up.
I did end up having to minimally assist one of them. They had all internally pipped at the end of the 20th day, and three had externally pipped, zipped, and hatched by the begging of day 21.
The 4th egg had been internally pipped for about 20 hours, and upon candling it, I could see that it’s beak was frantically pecking, but unable to actually tap the egg. He also appeared to be breathing much heavier than the others had been by this point. I suspect that he was slightly malpositioned r/t the saddle. So I just made a tiny breathing hole using a steak knife to saw a little score, and then poked the score with a needle. My logic was to give him some oxygen, so that he could find the strength to reposition. I made the hole as close to his beak as possible.
He ended up hatching on the night of the 21st day. It took him longer to get on his feet than the others, as he was exauhsted, but I am glad that I enterveined, as he is thriving well now.
I don’t think that I would have tried to attempt more to help him. As veins were visable right up until the hatch.
One trick that I found to be priceless, was to heat some water on the stove, poor it in a cold pan (for steam) and then I took that pan over when I opened the incubator, while also draping a blanket entirely over myself, the steamy pan, and the incubator. This made the air under the blanket even more humid and warm than was inside the incubator, which allowed me to assist (and candle) more freely and timely. And actually boosted the humidity in the bator for a while. Personally, I think that The opportunity to keep closer tabs on them, being more high risk chicks, was invaluable to my sanity on hatch day, and this was a good way to do it.

Love the humidity trick!