Silkies from Garry Farm "BARGAIN" ?

[Basel]

My humidity dropped last night and had a silkie pip at the wrong end (bottom) It had been trying a while so I told myself if it hadn't hatched by the time I dropped off my son at school and got some things for easter then I was going in to find out the problem. Well, You would have never seen the wrong end pip unless you picked the egg up, But by this time the chick is completely STUCK in the egg. I can see that the chick itself isn't COMPLETELY dry but the membrane of the egg is and the poor little thing is screaming away. I upped the humidity and wrapped the egg all but where his beak is in a paper towel that had been wet with warm water, up the temp just by .1 degrees and added some more water to get the humidity up just a little more and just waiting it out for a little bit right now. There is no chipping away at the egg, i can tell it could result in a hurt chick, so just trying my best to wait and listen to his little calls for help. I think I can get him out ok, but not sure that he will make it, what a stress for him/her!

Good about wrapping it in a wet towel. Keep the membrane wet or he could get "shrink wrapped". I'd use tweezers and open a little clear air hole where his beak is, removing a little egg shell for him to breathe out of, and keep the membrane wet and let him hatch in his correct time.

 

[fishermans wife]

My humidity dropped last night and had a silkie pip at the wrong end (bottom) It had been trying a while so I told myself if it hadn't hatched by the time I dropped off my son at school and got some things for easter then I was going in to find out the problem. Well, You would have never seen the wrong end pip unless you picked the egg up, But by this time the chick is completely STUCK in the egg. I can see that the chick itself isn't COMPLETELY dry but the membrane of the egg is and the poor little thing is screaming away. I upped the humidity and wrapped the egg all but where his beak is in a paper towel that had been wet with warm water, up the temp just by .1 degrees and added some more water to get the humidity up just a little more and just waiting it out for a little bit right now. There is no chipping away at the egg, i can tell it could result in a hurt chick, so just trying my best to wait and listen to his little calls for help. I think I can get him out ok, but not sure that he will make it, what a stress for him/her!

Sounds like you did the right thing! So hard isn't it! Is this the white one that was hatching or a new one? I agree with the other person, give it a bit bigger hole for oxygen. Good luck!

 

[noahsmom]

Chick is out with my help, his legs and body just don't seem to want to work and not sure if its because he's been stuck in this position longer than he should have or what.
The umbellical cord is still attached and completely dried up, I'm not sure what to do for it at this point. He's got such a fighting will to live! In his condition s.o. Told me I need to give up but I can't this little baby wants to live.

 

[fishermans wife]

Chick is out with my help, his legs and body just don't seem to want to work and not sure if its because he's been stuck in this position longer than he should have or what.
The umbellical cord is still attached and completely dried up, I'm not sure what to do for it at this point. He's got such a fighting will to live! In his condition s.o. Told me I need to give up but I can't

this little baby wants to live.

Give it some time in the incubator. Hopefully it will get oriented. It needs to be able to grab things to get it's joints and tendons to snap into place. Does the bottom of your incubator have anything with mesh it can grab onto?

 

[noahsmom]

Give it some time in the incubator. Hopefully it will get oriented. It needs to be able to grab things to get it's joints and tendons to snap into place. Does the bottom of your incubator have anything with mesh it can grab onto?

The baby is up and walking around being very VOICEY! ll He/she is still in the incubator and I can't move it out until I figure out this umbilical cord situation, I have no idea what to do. The other chicks would have a hey day with that dangling stuff! The umbillical cord and the stuff hanging from it is just DRY...I know not to pull it, but not really sure what to do. I hope to be able to move it into the brooder tonight if possible.

 

[fishermans wife]

It is being voicey because it is absorbing oxygen in it's lungs - that is exactly right! When it is fluffed up and steady I would use small cuticle scissors and cut the cord close to it's body. If it is dried up then it shouldn't be a problem. I have not had that issue - but I have had them drag around a piece of shell with it and I have just cut it in the past. the cord did not get twisted off because of it not hatching normally in that the process of "zipping" turns the chick in the shell to cut off all the veins that were supply it. Congrats! So does that make 5 or 6 silkies?

 

[noahsmom]

It is being voicey because it is absorbing oxygen in it's lungs - that is exactly right! When it is fluffed up and steady I would use small cuticle scissors and cut the cord close to it's body. If it is dried up then it shouldn't be a problem. I have not had that issue - but I have had them drag around a piece of shell with it and I have just cut it in the past. the cord did not get twisted off because of it not hatching normally in that the process of "zipping" turns the chick in the shell to cut off all the veins that were supply it. Congrats! So does that make 5 or 6 silkies?

I have 5 silkies 3 buff and 2 white! I am hoping this little guy makes it like I said he has every will in the world to live and is acting normal. However I'm REALLY worried about his foot. His outer last toe is stuck under his foot and then the toe beside that is bending at an angle every time he walks on it. It makes him un sturdy and I believe in pain, I'm not sure. I did take your advice and take the umbilical cord off, barely took anything to cut it off so it was ready, everything went good. I tried him in the brooder with the others for 1 minute and they attacked him like no other, pecking his wings, head, eyes and had him screaming. The rhode island reds are tough and quick. I placed him back in the box under the heat lamp(its long enough he can go to the other end if he gets to HOT) and is doing well, but still has not stopped chirping. I think he's chirping even in his sleep! lol

How are your babies doing? I seriously don't know if I'll ever do this again, I had fun and love all my babies dearly but I'm just not cut out for the loss. I think some of this was my fault and if I ever do it again I'm going to completely LEAVE things alone, period. I think if I have a silkie hen or two I can always purchase eggs and if they are broody place them under them, and I'll keep my bator for times they aren't. I will have pics tomorrow I'm going to get the laundry room set up so they can run around in it, I have great natural lighting in there when its sunny out so I think a little 5-10minutes break and photo shoot from the brooder can't hurt anyone.

The rest of the 6 eggs do have full term chicks in them, I have done something wrong I believe and probably me opening and closing the bator to much is what happened. I feel so bad for them, I did an eggtopsy on one of the blues and I could see it was completely full term. The eggs are still in the bator and I followed procedures as if the chick COULD be alive, but I already knew it wasn't. So, I don't want that to be a HIT on the garry farm chickens, I believe there was a good possibility I would have ended up with 10 silkies had I left things alone more. I didn't constantly open, but I know I did open to much.

 

[fishermans wife]

I have 5 silkies 3 buff and 2 white! I am hoping this little guy makes it like I said he has every will in the world to live and is acting normal. However I'm REALLY worried about his foot. His outer last toe is stuck under his foot and then the toe beside that is bending at an angle every time he walks on it. It makes him un sturdy and I believe in pain, I'm not sure. I did take your advice and take the umbilical cord off, barely took anything to cut it off so it was ready, everything went good. I tried him in the brooder with the others for 1 minute and they attacked him like no other, pecking his wings, head, eyes and had him screaming. The rhode island reds are tough and quick. I placed him back in the box under the heat lamp(its long enough he can go to the other end if he gets to HOT) and is doing well, but still has not stopped chirping. I think he's chirping even in his sleep! lol

How are your babies doing? I seriously don't know if I'll ever do this again, I had fun and love all my babies dearly but I'm just not cut out for the loss. I think some of this was my fault and if I ever do it again I'm going to completely LEAVE things alone, period. I think if I have a silkie hen or two I can always purchase eggs and if they are broody place them under them, and I'll keep my bator for times they aren't. I will have pics tomorrow I'm going to get the laundry room set up so they can run around in it, I have great natural lighting in there when its sunny out so I think a little 5-10minutes break and photo shoot from the brooder can't hurt anyone.

The rest of the 6 eggs do have full term chicks in them, I have done something wrong I believe and probably me opening and closing the bator to much is what happened. I feel so bad for them, I did an eggtopsy on one of the blues and I could see it was completely full term. The eggs are still in the bator and I followed procedures as if the chick COULD be alive, but I already knew it wasn't. So, I don't want that to be a HIT on the garry farm chickens, I believe there was a good possibility I would have ended up with 10 silkies had I left things alone more. I didn't constantly open, but I know I did open to much.

Don't beat yourself up! Out of 17 eggs from Garry, I hatched 6 and had 1 die. 50% hatch rate on shipped eggs is a good hatch - and that is based on lockdown numbers! There is no way to know what happened! You have a wonderful start! crooked toes is easily fixed on these little ones - lots of threads on here how to do it, but do it sooner than later! I have done it once with good success. This last hatch I had one with a leg that went straight to the side, and with 4 days of wrapping and hobbling - you would never know which one it is now! These guys are so resilient! I would give the little chick some poly v straight away! That can do wonders for leg/foot issues. Maybe give it until morning to get its footing and assess the foot issue and address it if it is still going on. this little one is brand new and had a rougher start, it just may need some time!

Here is a sight I love and has great advice on chick care! I make the food mix all the time and they love it! http://www.silkiechickens.co/New-Chick-Care.html

Also, I have started doing fermented feed and love it. I wish I had known about it sooner! It may be something you want to look at. I have fed regular chicken feed for years with success, but this new way of feeding makes a lot of sense and I really see a difference in my hens...especially my older ones...they are 4 years old now!

here is a great site - and she is an active BYC member:
http://naturalchickenkeeping.blogspot.com/p/fermented-feed.html

and this is a really long thread - but great info:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/644300/fermenting-feed-for-meat-birds

they also talk about it on the raising silkie thread

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/297632/silkie-thread/80

I think a bator back up is always great. I had a broody hen leave her nest during hatch! I had to fire up the bator and put them in there and they all hatched! She then decided she wanted to return to the nest after a day...so I was able to put her babies under her and she took them no problem. They would have died had I not had the incubator to "finish them off".

If your little guy doesn't settle down, I would put a little stuffed animal with him or maybe another silkie chick, some people even do a mirror so they think they have company. RIR are known to be more aggressive. Mine is the smallest hen I have of my egg layers - and NOBODY pushes her around! She has the roosters running!! LOL!

You did a great job!

 

[noahsmom]

Thank you for all the help and support I truly appreciate it! I already made a splint for the silkie chick and s.o held him while I put the splint on to spread out the feet properly. Thanks for those links I will take a look I definitely spent some time researching around and he is already actually able to stand and walk more upright with better balance yay! I have seen no signs yet of him not going to make it very active and very sweet his feathers are very slowly starting to fluff.

I agree these Rhode Island chicks are little monsters lol not all of them but a few are so nosey and go wild easily. The silkies can be the same sometimes but it's more gentle and they lose interest of things they test out more quickly.

I put a wash cloth in with the little silkie so he won't be so alone. I would love to introduce him permanently to the others ASAP so it won't be any rougher on him. He got a dose of vitamins in the incubator lol I wasn't going to waste any time and has vitamins in his water.

Here are a few pics of the silkies ... I got them out tonight..

White silkie..

And a couple of the little white silkie... trying to fluff up, tomorrow I will go over his back with a warm damp paper towel to loosen some more up.

 

[fishermans wife]

They are beautiful! So much fluff! They are going to be gorgeous! They grow so fast ....my week olds are already getting their wing feathers. I am trying to figureout where to put them as they have outgrown their brooder box. I need one of these refrigerator boxes LOL! Hopefully I can come up with something tomorrow as they need more space to run

Great job on the feet! they get used to it fast and will probably correct it in 2 or 3 days.