Question about what I see in the egg at day 14

[silkiechick05]

So I am at officially day fourteen

Some of my eggs (bantams) are completely dark to where I can't see anything.

Some of them (the standard breeds) still have quite a bit of space left and I can see the chicks moving.

The empty space is at the pointy end of the egg. Not the air sac.

Is that empty space normal? Or is it normal to not see any space? Are they both normal??

 

[eggseroneous]

Bumpin' this one up!

I'd like to know this too! I still have a lot to learn about candling!

 

[silkiechick05]

Anyone know?

 

[calicokat]

There's a sticky post near the top of this catagory (Incubating & hatching eggs). It walks through pictures of candling on different days. It might shed some light on it (ok, maybe pun intended just a little

)

 

[abanjaf]

The empty space is normal. That is the air cell which the chicks will internally pip into before (then you get to hear your babies peeping before they hatch!) the external pip. Even on the bantam eggs, you should still be able to see the air cell at the large end (not the pointy end) of the egg. And by the time lock down rolls around, the entire egg will be dark (filled with chick!) except the air cell. I have had a chick make it to lockdown with no visible air cell detectable and not hatch. Upon opening the egg on Day 24, there was no air cell to be found. Quirk of nature, perhaps? If anyone can answer that one for me, I'd love to know. Hope this helps

 

[silkiechick05]

abanjaf:
Sorry I should have clarified. There is the air sac, but it is toward the pointy end where there is empty space. Should there be room at the pointy end at this point in time of the incubation?


Now can you answer my question???

Thanks!

 

[abanjaf]

Okay! Confused now! The air cell is at the pointy end of the egg?! Or the air cell is where it's supposed to be and you also see empty space at the pointy end? If the air cell is where it's supposed to be, you see the chick moving and you still see some extra space at the pointy end, then I wouldn't worry about it

 

[chickencrazymamahen]

ok....the air cell is at the large end.....as the chick develops it fills the egg...there will be space at the bottom (pointy) end until it grows and fills that space. I hope this helps, don't know all the technical terms for all of it, just what I have seen. The sticky on here on candling has some good pictures to look at for reference. Sounds pretty normal to me...good luck!

 

[Minniechickmama]

If you have a strong enough light to actually see the embryo, then on Day 14, you should be able to see that it is still floating and moving around a bit. Mine are on Day 14 also and last night's candling showed quite a bit of veining, still plenty of albumen and the embryo swimming in it. I would keep the eggs in there if they don't smell bad, which it sounds like they shouldn't smell. They may be fine, but they might not be either. As the nasties, as I call them, are growing instead of a chick, then they slowly darken the egg also. Like I said, smell them and if they don't stink, let them go and see what happens.

abanjaf- the air sac may have been ruptured before you set the egg and therefore there wasn't one to pip into for the chick. I have read that occasionally those will develop and even hatch, but most often (my own experience) they will not even develop anything. By the way, some breeds are more prone to this than others. I had a lot of Polish eggs in one batch that were ruptured, and then found out they are one of those breeds.

 

[silkiechick05]

Poor abanjaf! I have confused you too many times! The air sac is in place at the big end of the egg. It is just space at the pointy end that is still vacant. My silkie eggs are completely dark, but none of the eggs smell so I don't think they are bad...