Just assisted a chick to hatch

One of my chicks had been in the same position for over 12 hrs
There was a small hole, cherry sized of shell missing
A tiny beak peeping throug
And then the membrane which had gone a brown stained colour

I believed it was stuck and couldn't zip so I removed a bit of shell
This helped its head move and it could push a bit better
The shell was really thick and brittle
I was scared to pull or cut the membrane
I wet it and pulled it away from the opening

No blood vessels, veins, blood
Finally with a little more help it got out with a bit push
There was nothing in the egg, but a stringy cord that went to its belly from the egg
Very thin, pencil line size, as it moved it broke, was this an umbilical cord?
There was a matchstick head blood stain on the kitchen paper when it broke off

The chick is tiny but active, one foot looks curled on its toes
I'll look at that when its dried out
They are chicks I'm incubating for a friend who's a sheep farmer and bee farmer!
He has a cool bee place you can watch the bees behind glass

He wants then for his nephew but I'm now getting a bit protective!
How old is his nephew
Does he have a brooder
Will he look after them!

They are just mutts but I feel bonded

Lol! You sound like me! I had a hard time trying to find new homes for my roosters! I was sooo worried that they would end up with someone who wouldn't take care of them right! I found a home for them at a farm that I bought 2 chicks from. I hope they are doing well......my new chicks are adorable though....the farm just hatched their chickens eggs out so all of the chicks were mixed breeds, but I didn't mind because mixed breed chicks are adorable! I mean LOOK at them!





I think they are EE mixes.....hopefully not roos, but they said we could bring them back and exchange them for different ones if they did end up to be roos.

I hope those chicks you are hatching out go to a good home!

The cord should be fine! Glad you saved him/her!

lightchick said:

The cord should be fine!  Glad you saved him/her!

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Thank you just been to check on the chick and its foot is fine
Probably been squashed up in the egg
It was really thick shell compared to the others!
I've got another egg that isn't doing much, just a tiny bit of eggshell missing
Might be doing another operation tomorrow!

lightchick said:

Lol! You sound like me! I had a hard time trying to find new homes for my roosters! I was sooo worried that they would end up with someone who wouldn't take care of them right! I found a home for them at a farm that I bought 2 chicks from. I hope they are doing well......my new chicks are adorable though....the farm just hatched their chickens eggs out so all of the chicks were mixed breeds, but I didn't mind because mixed breed chicks are adorable! I mean LOOK at them! I think they are EE mixes.....hopefully not roos, but they said we could bring them back and exchange them for different ones if they did end up to be roos. I hope those chicks you are hatching out go to a good home!

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Aw they look lovely, the one I just helped is black with a yellow bum, think I might have to keep him, mind you he'd be the only one that age my others are four weeks!

Quote: He sounds adorable! I raised a chick by itself before and they get very attached to you.