HUGE MISHAPED AIR CELLS

[TXChookstead]

We got 4 out of the original 14, last one just hatched. Just candled again and none of those remaining were able to pip internally. I probably didn't detect some that had stopped developing before lockdown, but all appeared to have movement and blood vessels at that time. I'm not sure what happened. Our hatching rates have been 90%+ with chicks, but they have been from our own birds, which is a best-case scenario. And, of course, these were ducks.

Just so I know for next time, Chickfused, did you keep the eggs vertical, fat end up, right through until the hatch? The air cells seemed stable on ours after 3+ weeks of upright incubation and hand-tilting, so after reading quite a few messages on the board, I put them horizontal for lockdown. That is the one thing I may have messed up on.

 

[chickfused]

I kept them upright in an egg carton in a cool (55-ish F) room for 2 days. Then I candled them, and all the air cells which were attached, attached in the wrong spot, attached but jiggly went into normal, horizontal, autoturning incubation. The ones which where still detached stayed upright in a second incubator. At day 7, anything with embryos went into normal incubation from that box too. (The 2nd week is the most critical for turning I hear?)

I was prepared for huge losses, and I certainly had plenty thereof on the way to lockdown, but of everything that made it to lockdown with crazy looking air cells, 95% hatched 100% uneventfully. Like you'd look in the egg and it would look like it was half air! Baby just fine.

 

[TXChookstead]

Thanks. That is helpful! I will be doing things differently next time. More resting time before incubating (I did give them some, but probably not enough), and probably adjustments to humidity as well. One other possibility in my case was that the incubator may not have been disinfected thoroughly enough. I had used soap but not a bleach water solution between hatches. So tragic, if that was the problem. I will be very careful about that in the future.

 

[Bluesamantha26]

Any update on these eggs? Wondering how your hatch went!

 

[TXChookstead]

Just 4 out of 12, but I'm thinking it's likely due to other things than the air cells -- hard to tell. Could have been bacteria, fluctuations in humidity, etc.

The 4 that hatched are doing really well, and getting so big!