Saddle shape air cells and humidity...

[RubyNala97]

I candle my eggs today, I'm only on day 5 and would you believe that I saw in two eggs, the eye and some squirming!!! At first I thought I must be shaky but even when I was real still it was moving in there! Very happy & excited!! But I noticed on most of the eggs that the air cell is not circular. On one side it is but the other side dips down. They were shipped eggs. Does this mean they are saddle shaped? And if so, how should the humidity be? I'm running on a lower side 30-35%. What special things can I do to help out a saddle air cell? Anything? Also, the other eggs have lots of red veining but I didn't see the eye, are they still developing, just a little behind the other 2? And last question, one egg has a nice perfect circle air cell but no veining at all & little spots of brighter color throughout...is that one a dud? Thank you!! This is my first incubation.

 

[4chickns]

I candle my eggs today, I'm only on day 5 and would you believe that I saw in two eggs, the eye and some squirming!!! At first I thought I must be shaky but even when I was real still it was moving in there! Very happy & excited!! But I noticed on most of the eggs that the air cell is not circular. On one side it is but the other side dips down. They were shipped eggs. Does this mean they are saddle shaped? And if so, how should the humidity be? I'm running on a lower side 30-35%. What special things can I do to help out a saddle air cell? Anything? Also, the other eggs have lots of red veining but I didn't see the eye, are they still developing, just a little behind the other 2? And last question, one egg has a nice perfect circle air cell but no veining at all & little spots of brighter color throughout...is that one a dud? Thank you!! This is my first incubation.

Hi Ruby! It's so exciting seeing those little guys moving in there! I'll answer what I can and I'm sure someone else can answer the rest. The air cells are supposed to dip a little further on one side than the other, if you can get a picture that would help. True saddle shape has a dip on both sides. If you haven't looked at candling pictures yet you should definitely do that. If you search "candling pics" on here a great thread should pop up (which I believe is also in the learning center) so you know exactly what you're looking for. You can also find air cell pictures to make sure they're on target. Make sure you mark them on days 7, 14 and 18. The one with the spots sounds like a dud, but too early to toss anything unless it smells, so just give it some time. Are you rotating the eggs in the incubator? Even though it is small, I still think it's a good idea to rotate them in case there are any spots that are slightly warmer than the others. I'm not sure about humidity relating to the abnormal air cells, but I would just be sure to track them and adjust humidity for the majority.

 

[RubyNala97]

My son took these so they are not the best. How do the air cells look?

 

[RubyNala97]

 

[RubyNala97]

Does this look like a red ring or a vein?

 

[AmyLynn2374]

Does this look like a red ring or a vein?

Neither, it's what happens when you candle from the side of the egg...lol

In that picture you are not seeing and air cell, you are seeing the light transfer through different thicknesses of liquid mass. Now, take your flashlight and shine it down into the egg from the top (at the air cell) maybe at a bit of an an angle. Then you should clearly see an air cell. It'll look like an empty spot at the top of the egg and it will put the rest of the egg in prespective for you as well.

 

[AmyLynn2374]

This is what I mean. See how I am illuminating the air cell end. You can clearly see the air cell. In the bottom picture you can see how much my air cell has grown between the 7 day candle and this candle. (7 day candle is marked with pencil.) It also gives you a clearer picture of veining and embryo developement as well.

Lots of people try candling at the side or bottom when they start. It's common. But it doesn't give you a very good picture of what you want to see.

 

[AmyLynn2374]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...g-candling-pics-progression-though-incubation Is the thread that I use for candling.

 

[4chickns]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...g-candling-pics-progression-though-incubation   Is the thread that I use for candling.

That's the one!

 

[RubyNala97]

Thank you guys. You have a lot of patience! I think I'm over worrying about the whole thing. I looked real quick when I turned them last night and I saw 3 babies. So they are growing! I'm gonna stop stressing so much! tomorrow is day 7 and I will mark air cells and take it from there. After I got the baby to sleep last night I looked at a million candling pics till I fell asleep!!!