Utah!

[La Casa de Pollo]

I luv, I just saw your last post, I missed it....if the liquid moves around and the air cell is not securely in one spot it is a detached air cell, tricky but they can hatch. Mostly be careful when you are turning and handling, go slowly. The air cell is usually fastened securely at the big end of the egg, but shipping can make them come "unglued" and they float around. THe liquid never gets bigger, the humidity does not add liquid, it just keeps the egg from evaporating. The older an egg is, the more it evaporates and the air cell gets bigger over time and with incubation heat. The drier the environment the faster it will evaporate so the key is to provide enough moisture to keep the air cell from drying out too fast, the liquid is where the chick lives and grows, it is the egg yolk and white, not water....so if it runs out of room toward the end it will become too bound up and die and not be able to turn into hatching position. This is why we stop turning a few days before hatch, they get positioned before they are full and fat and cannot move. Hope that helps explain it? Not very eloquent with getting what is in my head into the written word lol!

 

[La Casa de Pollo]

Iluv, just saw another post back there! I keep missing them.

I am sort of confused about the water---when you ask if it should go up to the line n the picture I am not sure what you mean....the water should not touch the egg, it should be in the bottom of the incubator and the steam/humidity is what keeps the egg from drying out too fast. Pm me if this does not make sense or if we are talking about two different things I hope I am not confusing you!

 

[Iluvmysilkies]

Iluv, just saw another post back there! I keep missing them.

I am sort of confused about the water---when you ask if it should go up to the line n the picture I am not sure what you mean....the water should not touch the egg, it should be in the bottom of the incubator and the steam/humidity is what keeps the egg from drying out too fast. Pm me if this does not make sense or if we are talking about two different things

I hope I am not confusing you!

Haha sorry, im referring to the liquid line inside the egg. If I hold the egg upright the air cells go down really low, alot lower then I think the liquid inside is suppose to go right now. Im just curious if its the liquid line/humidity thats important and not so much the size of the air cell so that they dont get shrink wrapped. Is that liquid line suppose to be higher then these huge air cells right now? Some of them the liquid looks nearly empty in the air cell area, and in some its higher then the air cells. But all of the air cells and shaped wonky like this.

 

[Iluvmysilkies]

I luv, I just saw your last post, I missed it....if the liquid moves around and the air cell is not securely in one spot it is a detached air cell, tricky but they can hatch. Mostly be careful when you are turning and handling, go slowly. The air cell is usually fastened securely at the big end of the egg, but shipping can make them come "unglued" and they float around. THe liquid never gets bigger, the humidity does not add liquid, it just keeps the egg from evaporating. The older an egg is, the more it evaporates and the air cell gets bigger over time and with incubation heat. The drier the environment the faster it will evaporate so the key is to provide enough moisture to keep the air cell from drying out too fast, the liquid is where the chick lives and grows, it is the egg yolk and white, not water....so if it runs out of room toward the end it will become too bound up and die and not be able to turn into hatching position. This is why we stop turning a few days before hatch, they get positioned before they are full and fat and cannot move. Hope that helps explain it? Not very eloquent with getting what is in my head into the written word lol!

Ok that makes more sense. I was thinking the liquid in there depended on how much humidity is has. I noticed some of them the liquid is much lower, going way down like the air cell is, and then the one I took back from dixie still had a ton of liquid inside it even though the air cell was still huge like the others..

The air cells themselves dont move around, they are attached to the shell, they are just huge and going down low on the sides. The liquid line on some is either at the same line as the air cell (low) or they are slightly higher then the air cell line.

 

[La Casa de Pollo]

Iluv--haha ok I think I understand...yep the air cells are a little big and the liquid a little low. That's ok, just slowly give them a little more humidity, hopefully that will help slow the process down a little. It is so hard to describe it all on here! Sending good luck vibes your way!

 

[Iluvmysilkies]

Iluv--haha ok I think I understand...yep the air cells are a little big and the liquid a little low. That's ok, just slowly give them a little more humidity, hopefully that will help slow the process down a little. It is so hard to describe it all on here! Sending good luck vibes your way!

Haha thanks. So is it the liquid thats evaporating and causing the air cells to get bigger and bigger like this? But it's ok as long as I up the humidity? So the liquid wont increase, but I should make sure the air cell size isent getting bigger? Will the air cells get smaller if I add humidity or is it just a matter of slowing it down from getting worse? I just wonder how I can tell if they are getting enough humidity if I check on them again in a couple days just to make sure they are still alive and not shrink wrapping in there. Im so afraid they are going to die and its going to be my fault for screwing up the humidity The one that was with dixie has alot more liquid in it..
Do you think they can still be alright with me upping humidity or do you think they could still hatch just fine if I just give them to dixie since she could get the humidity right. Even looking like this, would their chances be better with her?

 

[acemario]

Ok... bit of a pic overload:

1) A picture of the broody mama and her one SBEL OE chick:


2) The set-up I invented for the broody when I saw the egg was actually hatching! (I didn't think any would). I just took out a divider in the nest boxes!:


3) My incubator babies! Here is one of the Silkie Showgirls, Lisa... I take it it will just look like a white silkie... is thtat right? Oh yeah, it has two 1st metatarsus on both feet. One toe right above the other on the back. It's kind of cute, and just in time for Halloween!


And here are the two other eggs that have pipped. One is another SBEL OE, and the other is the AustraWhite. I'm not sure the Marans will hatch. Possibly too much humidity?:


ETA: I just noticed my roo is photo bombing the first picture! Haha!

 

[La Casa de Pollo]

Awww cute pics Ace! The little silkie is a sizzle, so it will either be frizzled or smooth feathered. With a slight chance of normal silkie feathers if my other roo is the daddy. Most likely Ernie the frizzle/sizzle is the daddy, he seems to have fathered every single other chick I have hatched so far lol.

Marans can hatch a little late, and yes the humidity is good for the others but trickier for the marans....when I put them all together I just hope for the best, some hatch just fine, but I get a higher rate on marans with not much water. But wait a bit before chucking it, you never know!

Iluv---the air cell will not get smaller at this point, just slowing it down is all you can do. I would let Dixie try a couple! You can't up the humidity too much or it can cause other issues, but just get it up a little to help slow down the evaporation a little bit to give them a better chance.

 

[Cynthia12]

Ok... bit of a pic overload:

1) A picture of the broody mama and her one SBEL OE chick:


2) The set-up I invented for the broody when I saw the egg was actually hatching! (I didn't think any would). I just took out a divider in the nest boxes!:


3) My incubator babies! Here is one of the Silkie Showgirls, Lisa... I take it it will just look like a white silkie... is thtat right? Oh yeah, it has two 1st metatarsus on both feet. One toe right above the other on the back. It's kind of cute, and just in time for Halloween!


And here are the two other eggs that have pipped. One is another SBEL OE, and the other is the AustraWhite. I'm not sure the Marans will hatch. Possibly too much humidity?:


ETA: I just noticed my roo is photo bombing the first picture! Haha!

Oh boy Ace, I love these photos..miss those fuzzy butts popping out of those shells. Thanks for posting! Love that first photo too, of mom and baby. Really cute!

 

[acemario]

Thanks, Cynthia!

Just checking... I should be ok to put new chicks with the broody hen 3 days after she hatched one chick, right?