Help! Huge saddle shaped air cells!

[Iluvmysilkies]

Please help! I really need some advice about what I should do for these eggs. This is my first time hatching. They are silkie eggs at day 11 and they are all moving and look great except for these huge wonky shaped air cells, and they are only getting larger and extending down past the middle of the egg in a tear drop shape making me wonder if the membrane is literally detaching from the shell wall. These are shipped eggs and only 5 developed out of 22 eggs. They have been in a still air with fan and auto turner. I have had the humidity 20-30 but I started to raise to humidity yesterday when I discovered the size of the air cells. I am so afraid they are going to get stuck and not be able to rotate or hatch because of the little room. Has anyone had eggs with enormous air cells that still hatched fine? What did you do to help them hatch?
I was thinking of giving them to my broody to hatch since she wont screw up the humidity but I am concerned about if these eggs should be laying down on their side when the air cells look like this.
I read that some people prefer to hatch them in cartons with the sides cut down low and leaning kinda slanted so the air cell is up and should help avoid drowing.
I guess I am worried the most about them getting stuck and pipping on the wrong end, or me not getting the humidity right. I have been following a friends advise what she does to hatch her silkies but I dont think they have looked like this, so I dont know what to do. I want to give them the very best chance at hatching. Would they be ok on their sides or should they stay upright during hatching? Stay in incubator and maybe try the carton method, or.. give to my broody and just cross my fingers they hatch? What should I do?

 

[Yorkshire Coop]

I think your doing the right thing by putting your humidity up. With damaged air cells I still incubate at 45% for day 1-18. I would hatch them in cut down egg cartons I have had good results from this method like it so much I do all hatches like this now. They can and do hatch with air cells like this.
For best results from damaged air cells are -
When you receive the eggs leave to settle in egg cartons for at least 24 hours before setting.
Don't turn for 3 days after setting them.
Set in the incubator in a very upright position.
Hatch in cut down egg cartons.

Wishing you the very best of luck with your eggs

 

[Iluvmysilkies]

I think your doing the right thing by putting your humidity up. With damaged air cells I still incubate at 45% for day 1-18. I would hatch them in cut down egg cartons I have had good results from this method like it so much I do all hatches like this now. They can and do hatch with air cells like this.
For best results from damaged air cells are -
When you receive the eggs leave to settle in egg cartons for at least 24 hours before setting.
Don't turn for 3 days after setting them.
Set in the incubator in a very upright position.
Hatch in cut down egg cartons.

Wishing you the very best of luck with your eggs

Thank you! They have been in an egg turner turning side to side. Would it be wise to hand turn them in an egg carton so they are only leaning slightly from side to side instead of the auto turner or do you think they are fine?

 

[Yorkshire Coop]

I think they will be fine I still turn mine in the turner. Try not to panic
You can't change how the air cells are I'm afraid it is the risk that is taken with incubating shipped eggs. As long as you try to keep them upright you have done all you can to give them the best chance of hatching.

 

[Iluvmysilkies]

I think they will be fine I still turn mine in the turner. Try not to panic

You can't change how the air cells are I'm afraid it is the risk that is taken with incubating shipped eggs. As long as you try to keep them upright you have done all you can to give them the best chance of hatching.

Ok thanks. Now would if I see them pipping halfway down or toward the bottom when they are in the carton? Are they ok? Should I wait 8 hrs and then think about helping them? Would I just break the pip hole open just a little bit more and then make them do the rest?

 

[HugHess]

I concur with 'Coop'...always giving great advice...
I too had some of the 'wonkiest' air-cells that I have ever seen...I kept mine out to settle for close to two days and then put them in egg carton for their entire incubation. My 'bator is a still/thermal air so I did move that carton all over the bator several times a day, as well as shifted eggs from right to left within their individual carton cup.
We ended up hatching all that went into lock down!
Here's to hoping your next week or so flies by and you have a healthy, happy hatching!

 

[Yorkshire Coop]

Ok thanks. Now would if I see them pipping halfway down or toward the bottom when they are in the carton? Are they ok? Should I wait 8 hrs and then think about helping them? Would I just break the pip hole open just a little bit more and then make them do the rest? 

If you did get a pip in the wrong end I would only help as a very last resort not even looking at the egg for 12 hours. Opening the incubator messes with the humidity and could compromise the rest of your eggs. I believe in is it worth saving a chick that could be weak or sick and compromise the rest of your healthy hatching chicks just for that one? Hatching is natures way of weeding out the weak and sick. Hatching is their first big test to see if they are strong enough to live.

By keeping your egg cartons cut down and shallow you can see quite a lot of the egg but should still be enough to support your eggs in an upright position.

Hope you have a good hatch and good luck

 

[WashingtonWino]

Ok thanks. Now would if I see them pipping halfway down or toward the bottom when they are in the carton? Are they ok? Should I wait 8 hrs and then think about helping them? Would I just break the pip hole open just a little bit more and then make them do the rest? 

How did your hatch turn out? I searched for "saddle shaped air cell" and this came up, I'm dealing with the same thing right now. Did everything go ok?

 

[Iluvmysilkies]

How did your hatch turn out? I searched for "saddle shaped air cell" and this came up, I'm dealing with the same thing right now. Did everything go ok?

This was a while ago and it was the only time I have delt with it because I was buying shipped eggs and those get the saddle shaped air cells soo badly because the shipping. That hatch didnt go so well. Others have had success with it but I found that alot of the babies could not reach their full size, as if the membrane inside just kept detaching from the inside of the shell and overlapping on the baby. May have even suffocated it. I have seen had some very similar but mostly just steep drops to one side and I found that the easiest thing for them was keeping them standing upright in cut down egg cartons. I feel like it keeps their heads up right to make it easier to break into the air cell and get that important first breath without potentially drowning by laying down. I find this especially helpful for anything that has been shipped, but I now do it with all my own eggs to. I just make sure they are cut down pretty low with the bottoms cut out, and make sure there's no way for them to suffocate should they pip at a wrong end which I havent had happen yet. Good luck.

 

[WashingtonWino]

Thanks very much for the advice! I'll get started on my egg carton hatcher.