- Oct 22, 2013
- 81
- 4
- 43
Disaster struck this morning 
I went out to find that my broody had left the nest to care for her ravenous chicks that were wanting to explore. Overnight she'd sat or trodden on the newest hatchling and it was dead in the nest.That was the biggest blow, as that chick looked healthy when I saw it last. All the unhatched eggs were cold, including one that I'd been assisting - it had pipped the air cell but after a day not the shell, so we made a pip for it. Still nothing happened and we ended up removing the cap where it looked like it had a foot behind its head, but with the cap off I put it back under her to keep warm thinking it should be able to do its thing from there.
Well, this morning it was completely cold and apparently dead. I flaked a little shell off and it gave a movement so slight I thought it must have been me moving it around - it was like a little corpse. But then it happened again. I rushed it inside and flaked more shell off and it was sitting in the membranes (it looked ready to hatch already in the wee hours when I checked with the veins having receded when I dampened the membranes). I immediately put it into some lukewarm water with beak out and kept it like this while I prepared a hot water bottle and an electric blanket. It slowly began making discernible breathing movements. I gave it some electrolyte and have been doing so every hour or so with it on a hot water bottle. It's been getting better during the day - it has wriggled its feet and given a loud cheep once or twice! It can now be coaxed to lick electrolyte from a spoon if I support it and now it opens its eyes now and then.
But I'm worried about the back end where the membranes are still attached It doesn't look right. I've not removed or pulled on anything. The white stuff looks like faeces has been passed, maybe? But it's caught up in the membranes in a weird way. Is this a prolapse? Does it look fatal? I so want this baby to live for my 9-year-old who has had a really hard year and is devastated about the chicks that have died. We said we couldn't keep any roos but if this wee one is a roo I think it'll be hand reared and off to the local animal park. Please live, chicky!
I went out to find that my broody had left the nest to care for her ravenous chicks that were wanting to explore. Overnight she'd sat or trodden on the newest hatchling and it was dead in the nest.That was the biggest blow, as that chick looked healthy when I saw it last. All the unhatched eggs were cold, including one that I'd been assisting - it had pipped the air cell but after a day not the shell, so we made a pip for it. Still nothing happened and we ended up removing the cap where it looked like it had a foot behind its head, but with the cap off I put it back under her to keep warm thinking it should be able to do its thing from there.Well, this morning it was completely cold and apparently dead. I flaked a little shell off and it gave a movement so slight I thought it must have been me moving it around - it was like a little corpse. But then it happened again. I rushed it inside and flaked more shell off and it was sitting in the membranes (it looked ready to hatch already in the wee hours when I checked with the veins having receded when I dampened the membranes). I immediately put it into some lukewarm water with beak out and kept it like this while I prepared a hot water bottle and an electric blanket. It slowly began making discernible breathing movements. I gave it some electrolyte and have been doing so every hour or so with it on a hot water bottle. It's been getting better during the day - it has wriggled its feet and given a loud cheep once or twice! It can now be coaxed to lick electrolyte from a spoon if I support it and now it opens its eyes now and then.
But I'm worried about the back end where the membranes are still attached
It doesn't look right. I've not removed or pulled on anything. The white stuff looks like faeces has been passed, maybe? But it's caught up in the membranes in a weird way. Is this a prolapse? Does it look fatal? I so want this baby to live for my 9-year-old who has had a really hard year and is devastated about the chicks that have died. We said we couldn't keep any roos but if this wee one is a roo I think it'll be hand reared and off to the local animal park. Please live, chicky!
