Saddled Air Cells

[ophio]

I mistakenly didn't candle before hatching out a dozen eggs. Only noticed the air cell problem on day 7. Everything was developing normal so I propped it upright and let it be. Didn't help the air cell position but the chick hatched out without an issue anyways. Sadly it passed a few days later.

It looked like it was missing the last bit of it's torso? Everything was closed up and looked ok at first glance, but it had no tail and the vent was not formed correctly. It needed a a lot of baths. Other than the poop it looked/acted fine until I found it deceased the 4th morning.

Since then I've been candling that hen's eggs out of curiosity and have found two more eggs with air cells on the side (2 out of 29). Only hers, none from the rest of the flock so I don't think it's environment.

Is this a trait she's likely to pass on? Are eggs with saddled air cells all going to end up with badly developed chicks or was this just a freak occurrence?

 

[Debbie292d]

Are these your eggs or shipped eggs?

I get a lot of saddled eggs from shipped eggs and the majority hatch out fine. I've had to help a couple a times as they'll sometimes pip in the middle of the shell. Some still make it out themselves, some just needed a bit of help. All were normal.

If they're your eggs, I had a hen that was laying saddled eggs when she was first laying. All hers were normal chicks too. She grew out of whatever caused that as I have no idea. She's a chocolate silkie I still have that's 3 now.

 

[ophio]

Mine, no shipping. The ones I candled were fresh too, no sitting on their side for more than a few hours.

This is her first year laying too, though I had figured we'd be out of the woods for potential issues this late in the season.

Good to know saddled eggs can hatch normal!

 

[Susan Skylark]

Shipping trauma can damage the air cell and the genetic material, this is why you get poor hatch rates on shipped saddled eggs. Wonky home egg production isn’t likely to damage the genetic material so hatch rates should be similar to regular home raised eggs, maybe a little lower, like in eggs with backwards chicks, as pipping can be problematic.