- Oct 3, 2010
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-This thread will contain pictures of dead chick-
After my favourite hen got eaten by a fox a few weeks ago, I rapidly bundled together some eggs and put together a makeshift incubator in the hope of hatching some of her offspring. Things were a bit unstable at first in terms of temperature and humidity but I eventually got things at a pretty consistent level. Embryo's developed quickly, could see veins, eye dot and blood inside. But they didnt progress well. I waited weeks and eventually the eggs started to smell bad, some started leaking sticky sap. It was hard to candle the, and see what was going on. I presumed all had failed, and I was readying myself to throw them all away.
But just as I was about to do so, I noticed a beak had pipped through one of the intact (no leaky) eggs. I was amazed, a really well formed beak. AND, it was chirping and breathing. This was very late at night, I was not sure what to do. I broke a little extra shell off around its beak to help it get out if it chose to. And then went to bed, I then got up 3-4hours later, and found it in exactly the same position. Still breathing and chirping, I tried to look through the small opening. It looked a bit veiny and bloody so I decided to leave it alone. I went and snoozed for another 3 hours and then checked again.
And to my dismay, it had died! It seemed quite dry and sticky around its head, so I presume it got a little stuck. But I had added extra water into the incubator each time, it was plenty humid. I peeled off the whole shell and found it was not dry elsewhere inside the egg but only around the opening which had become sticky. The chicks breathing was not at all obstructed, beak was clean.
So I got it out and noticed the chick seemed slightly under developed, the skin on its belly seemed a little too soft and slightly see through. Everything else seemed good enough. But on its lower abdomen, towards one side there was a bloody wound, rather large too!
I have had some chicks hatched by a broody before, and they had firmer skin and nothing like this on their stomachs. But I assume it is perhaps where the nutrition from the yolk enters the chick?
If anyone can shed some light on what might've gone wrong I would greatly appreciate it. I have perhaps 1-2 intact eggs that have a small chance of hatching. I dont want to mess them up.
