Abnormally Large Air Cell - Help!

[MichyA]

Hi everyone!
I noticed the first time I candled my Silkie eggs that this one looked different. I believe the air cell is detached or just abnormally large and I assumed the chick would at some point stop growing. But it never did… so I kept the chick in the incubator. Now we are on day 19 and the egg looks like this! (I believe this is called a saddle shaped air cell…)

I just put the eggs in “lockdown” but I’m very concerned about this chick. It was moving and is alive in there. But the air cell is just so large! Will I possibly need to assist? Does anyone have any personal experience with a chick in an egg like this hatching? Thank you in advance!

 

[nuthatched]

I don't see a chick, have you seen it move recently?

 

[MichyA]

I don't see a chick, have you seen it move recently?

Yes! The whole dark side is a chick…takes up a lot of space now since it’s due to hatch in a couple days. It’s been moving all along. I saw it move tonight as I was candling it. I’m positive it’s alive in there. It just seems like it’s only on one side of the egg! I’ve hatched a lot of chicks but haven’t seen this before.

 

[em530]

I had an egg like this, probably worse actually because the air cell was loose and huge, it was a shipped egg, I sat it up in the incubator when I got to day 14/15. it sat in an egg carton that I cut up and also cut a hole in the bottom for air flow, I never thought it would hatch but thought I would give it the best chance, so I left it fat end up sat in its little holder and it was the first to hatch!

 

[MichyA]

I had an egg like this, probably worse actually because the air cell was loose and huge, it was a shipped egg, I sat it up in the incubator when I got to day 14/15. it sat in an egg carton that I cut up and also cut a hole in the bottom for air flow, I never thought it would hatch but thought I would give it the best chance, so I left it fat end up sat in its little holder and it was the first to hatch!

Thank you! That gives me hope for this chick! How should I put it in the egg carton? What do you mean flat side up?

 

[MysteryChicken]

I wouldn't worry.

 

[MadamContrary]

I've hatched lots of saddled air cell eggs that were damaged in shipping. It might be on the small side if it hatches.
One method for hatching detached air cell eggs is to use an egg carton to keep the egg fat end up, to keep the air cell where it's supposed to be, that's what the other poster was referring to.

 

[em530]

Thank you! That gives me hope for this chick! How should I put it in the egg carton? What do you mean flat side up?

sorry “fat” end up, I had to do that to keep the air cell at the top but severely saddled like yours I would lay on its side for hatching