Help, my air cell disappeared, but the chick has not pipped! What do I do?

[venymae]

I have a beautiful egg incubating. Today is day 22. The air cell looked good at lockdown, however, when I candled it today I couldn't find an air cell - none! There is also no external pip that I can find. The dark shelled eggs that my chickens lay are VERY strong but really beautiful and I am worried about the chick. PLEASE ADVISE ME!

 

[goatmezchicks]

I have a beautiful egg incubating. Today is day 22. The air cell looked good at lockdown, however, when I candled it today I couldn't find an air cell - none! There is also no external pip that I can find. The dark shelled eggs that my chickens lay are VERY strong but really beautiful and I am worried about the chick. PLEASE ADVISE ME!

I know this is an old post but the same thing happened to me and I ended up opening the egg to find it full of liquid and almost full term chick but the membrane itself looked dry

 

[chickengeorgeto]

Full term chicks that die before hatching IMHO come from a mother & dad that was not properly fed or nourished in the brood pen. There can also be other causes like an old dam or sire and improper storage of the hatching eggs before incubation begins. In essence the chick embryo ran out of energy before hatching began.