Guess How my Cider will turn out

I just threw 2.5 gallons of Langers Apple Juice in a Sanitized bottling bucket and poured a packet of s-05 on top of it. the bucket is meant for 5 gallon batches but i thought i bought 5 gallons of apple juice and apparently only bought half that. Will too much headspace cause a problem? also can i bottle right back into the juice bottles? maybe add some lactose and muntons tabs i have laying aroiund to each bottle?

Headspace isn't a problem in fermentation as it is constantly pushing out the oxygen with the evolution of CO2 gas.

so will i even see any airlock activity if there is so much headspace?

I also did 5 gal of Langers today only with s-04. Hoping to see some action in the air lock when I get up tomorrow morning.

yeah but that's the thing what i thought was 5 gallons was 5 half gallon bottles so my fermenter is less than half full. is there too much headspace for any airlock activity?

you will see airlock activity, but it will just take longer until that volume is filled with CO2 and builds enough pressure to bubble up through it. I had a test batch I was messing with that had a similar situation as you without issues. I don't think that head space is a real issue when it is in the primary as there is so much CO2 early on that it will most defiantly push out all of the oxygen.

CO2 is heavier than air anyway so even if it never filled the fermenting vessel, it would have a CO2 blanket over the top of the Cider.

no on the juice bottles unless you plan on keeping them as a still cider. carbonation would make the tops most likely pop off

alright what would you reccomend i use?

I would suggest bottling from the bucket, I never bother with a secondary unless I'm making a wine/mead/cyser. My cider gets drunk too damn fast to bother with one

If you like Carbed cider -- use Beer or Champagne bottles....
If you like Still cider -- use any glass bottle you can cork or cap....