JessicaDotta
Songster
- Oct 27, 2020
- 150
- 326
- 126
I have my first broody hatch. My hen seems a little confused. She abandoned her two unhatched eggs and went on sat on new eggs--bringing her chicks with her. I found this situation after I got home from work last night, weather has been in the 40's. The two abandoned eggs were cold (near refrigerator temps) to the touch, so I assumed they were dead. (I'd been at work for hours and it was hours past dark--so they had to be left alone for quite some time.)
I autopsied the first egg and found a dead chick that either died early or been snuck in the nest late.
The second egg, I cracked open and heard a small whimper peep. The chick in the second egg was barely breathing. I could see its beak and closed eyes. I recently purchased a new incubator and was testing its calibrations and thankfully still had it running. So I moistened the membrane with some oil and placed it in the incubator. The membrane looked too bloody to assist more.
Bracing myself for a dead chick in the morning, I went to bed. This morning it was still breathing (not peeping). I tended my flock and after thinking about the likeliness of shrink-wrapping, I decided to test the shell a little. As soon as I broke some shell off, it came to life, wanting out of the shell. This chick is out and peeping its head off. The yolk is absorbed and as far as I can tell there are no deformities. I already tried to get the hen to adopt it, but she's not having it.
I can't believe this chick survived.
I autopsied the first egg and found a dead chick that either died early or been snuck in the nest late.
The second egg, I cracked open and heard a small whimper peep. The chick in the second egg was barely breathing. I could see its beak and closed eyes. I recently purchased a new incubator and was testing its calibrations and thankfully still had it running. So I moistened the membrane with some oil and placed it in the incubator. The membrane looked too bloody to assist more.
Bracing myself for a dead chick in the morning, I went to bed. This morning it was still breathing (not peeping). I tended my flock and after thinking about the likeliness of shrink-wrapping, I decided to test the shell a little. As soon as I broke some shell off, it came to life, wanting out of the shell. This chick is out and peeping its head off. The yolk is absorbed and as far as I can tell there are no deformities. I already tried to get the hen to adopt it, but she's not having it.
I can't believe this chick survived.
