No Air pocket

[Sadiemagee25]

Ive been incubating and hatching mallards for a while, right now i have 30 eggs that have internally pipped, and one that has externally pipped. But the one that has externally pipped has no air pocket. I’ve never seen this before, What should i do?

 

[Kiki]

Welcome to BYC.
I wouldn't worry about this now because if it has already externally pipped then duckling's body might be in the air pocket/blocking you from seeing it.

If it is externally pipped it doesn't need an air pocket.


Can you candle this egg and take a clear photo?
Maybe I am misunderstanding.

 

[Sadiemagee25]

It hasn’t popped through the membrane, just the shell, i can see her moving around but you’ll see there is no air pocket.

 

[Kiki]

I can't see what you are seeing, sorry.
If I were you I would not mess with the eggs anymore.
Just let them do their thing.

 

[MROO]

If I understand this right (maybe not) the externally pipped egg has cracked the shell but not the membrane? That sounds weird, but if the shell is cracked, but the membrane is somehow still intact, the baby can't get air. Should the OP put a little tear in the membrane (through the hole in the shell and before it dries out & toughens up) just to make sure there's air in there?

 

[chickens really]

Impossible. The membrane is pipped if the shell is..

 

[MROO]

Impossible. The membrane is pipped if the shell is..

You're absolutely right, but there's always that one fluke chance that throws everything off. I had an external pip where the membrane looked intact, but wasn't. Apparently, the baby was slow and the membrane dried out, sealing the "flap" so that it looked solid again. The chick could have gotten out easily enough, but air couldn't really get in. It rested long enough that I was worried, so I oiled the membrane and made a tiny air hole. I don't know whether that made a difference or if handling the egg woke up the sleeping baby, but we had a chick within the hour. That's the only reason I questioned it ...