Buckeye project...first time with mailed eggs...not great results only 4 of 12 set hatched (16 shipped, only 12 worthy of setting). I increased my odds of hatching by starting 6 of them in my 2 mini-incubators and setting 6 with my Silkie. I then at day 6 adjusted things by giving the best developing 6 to the Silkie and keeping the balance in the incubators. I adjusted again on day 10. Of those final best developing 6 (non of the maybe's in the incubators hatched), 4 hatched, 2 were roosters (and good eating) and 2 were hens.
The hens were rescued as chicks on this project (1 from a stupid chick trick that left it chilled out of the nest, the other an assisted hatch as it shrunk wrapped when I disturbed the hen at a crucial moment to rescue the chilled chick). The chilled chick I found gasping her last breath and crawling with spring-time little black ants. I took her into the house and held her under a faucet of warm water while rubbing her chest to encourage breathing. She revived, then warmed and dried and put in the mini-incubator I have for emergencies. She was returned 12 hours later to momma and her nest mates. The other that was sadly disturbed when I rescued the chilled chick was struggling but could not hatch.
Momma had been frantic when I had shifted her off of the nest as I was attempting to reach the chilled chick. I knew I had interrupted a crucial moment. As it had been 12 hours and she looked shrunk wrapped, I, carefully took the still weakly peeping chick into the house figuring she would die without any assistance. I looked up some info on BYC and then carefully did an assisted hatch being careful to not disturb any veins (they were dried up too). Saran (her nickname) looks shaved because part of the fluff came off with the shell. She had a swollen umbilical site that looked a bit nasty, likely as bacteria grew from her precarious position with an open membrane. I washed her too in warm water stroking her for circulation, dried her gently, added anitbiotic ointment to the umbilical site, placed her in my mini-incubator then hand fed her for the next 2 days with Chick Saver & Sulmet antibiotic from a dropper. She slowly gained strength and began accepting warm chick starter mush. By day 5 she was able to be introduced back with the clutch. I placed the whole brood on a 10 day course of Sulmet in water to prevent further bacterial overgrowth for Saran and passage to others (learned from another BYC'er that post hatch bacterial overgrowth is the number one chcik killer). Both rescues are now lovely Buckeye hens.
