Watery air cells?

[77horses]

Our broody Bantam Cochin pullet is setting on 2 Red Star/RIR eggs and 2 Amer. eggs. These eggs were not shipped; they came from our own chickens. The 2 Red Star/RIR eggs have pipped the air cell about 3 days ago, and still no shell pips. The last time I candled, they were still moving around and I could see their beaks poking through the air cell. But I also noticed that when I tilt the egg while candling, the sides of the air cell goes in...it's hard to explain. Like when I tilt it, it looks like water or something is pressing up against the air cell, causing it to rise around the sides of it. It looks kinda like the egg is really watery...the air cell looks kinda floppy...it's hard to explain.

I'm not sure why it looks like this. Is this normal? Is it caused by too high humidity? This past week it has been really wet out; has been raining constantly all week.
Thanks!

 

[pax12]

too high humidity, it might not make it.

 

[Katy]

At this stage of incubation you should be leaving them alone under the broody.

 

[77horses]

Quote:
Yes we are leaving them alone under the broody; but before leaving them alone, I had to candle one last time to make sure that they were still alive. Then, we put them under her and have only peeked under her belly to see if any pipped once and a great while.

 

[zowieyellowflame]

What u are describing sounds like what happened to me.....
I had to take an egg from a broody because she was done sitting, had 6 others to care for. The day I brought it in, there was a distinct air space. The next day, the air space was there in the morning and kind of weird and "watery" in the afternoon. The definitive line was no longer there, I could not see movement but I could hear peeps inside. Did you hear peeps? The chick hatched about 36 hrs after that. Sounds like yours has been a while but you never know.

 

[77horses]

Quote:
No, we cannot hear peeps(the last time I checked) but can see the little chick's beak pushing through the air cell.

UPDATE: no chicks have hatched yet today.

 

[Katy]

Everytime you take them out to candle them to check them you lesson the chances that they'll hatch.

 

[77horses]

Quote:
Really? why?
I know that you can candle the eggs once or twice like on day 18, just for a check to make sure that they are alive. Then, you put them under the broody for good until they hatch. This is what we've been doing. Haven't touched them all weekend, after we candled to make sure that they were still alive one last time.

 

[CindyS]

Thats really unusual what you describe for eggs under a broody hen.. The way you describe it, it sounds like a dead chick under really bad incubator conditions. Are you sure the "watery" appearance is not actually just the chicks body dropping down slightly with the movement of the egg? If its watery, it seems the chick would not survive pipping. I guess there is nothing more you can do but wait and see, good luck!