Lose air sacs

[kasey08]

I had 5 eggs under my hen from my own eggs. They should have hatched in 3 days. All had lose air sacs. What can cause that?

 

[kasey08]

anyone?

 

[chickintexas]

In my experience, since I receive lots of shipped eggs, loose air cells are due to extreme handling. I have personally never had loose air cells from eggs laid by my own chickens.

 

[wannabchick]

Btw, what are loose air cells
How can u tell?

 

[chickintexas]

When you candle and egg, the air cell moves away from the fat end of the egg. It's not supposed to do that. It's supposed to stay at the big end and not move away as you tilt the egg while candling. If I had an egg with a loose air cell, I'd take a video of it to show you what it looks like. Check Youtube, maybe?

 

[pawtraitart]

I have what must be the WORST broody on the planet. I don't know what she does, but every effort to let her hatch out eggs has ended in failure. Every single egg gets a broken air cell. I've since banned her from the broody crew. Trouble is, she's always going broody. She's my best BCM hen for conformation and egg color. TERRIBLE egg setter, though.

 

[chickintexas]

If you have other hens around her, they may be the culprit. I recently observed that my laying hens will steal my broody hens fertile AND developing eggs to encourage themselves to lay.

Odd. After they are done laying, they leave. I thought at first when I saw the head hen doing this that she was taking over the brooding. Nope. Just borrowing.

 

[kasey08]

That is probably what happened. She is an awesome broody hen. Great mom. But now she has 3 other hens in there and I guess they all laid in the same spot because she had all of the eggs. I'm going to make a little coop for my broody hens I guess I will put the broody's in that so the others wont bother them.

 

[chickintexas]

Quote:
Yep! That would explain it! You've got mama fighting to keep her eggs while the other hens are fighting to borrow them! Crazy birds! And I've got 5 other hens that try to lay with my broody! I'll consider myself lucky that they didn't destroy what may be my first ever 100% hatch!