Against the odds hatching thread (with pictures and questions)

[K0k0shka]

Bummer but hopefully that's enough for now and some oxygen will make it's way to the lower part of the egg for the chick. It's already getting way more of a chance than it would have gotten otherwise.

Are you going to leave it as is for now? Give it another go in a few more hours? Once it's absorbed more blood you'll have more leeway for poking around/finding the head with a qtip.

Plus the assisted hatch experts will be up and weighing in.

I gave it another good rub with the coconut oil, put it in its cup and put it in the incubator, alone in the basket (there are a couple of chicks still in the incubator). I’ll check it again in an hour. I saw more bleeding and at this point I’m afraid of hurting it if I keep poking. I’m also afraid that it’s getting cold and dry. Poor thing is still moving though, not the rhythmic motions anymore, but like it’s struggling to get out. I’ll nap for an hour and get up to check on it... hopefully more people will chime in as they wake up. THANK YOU so much for staying with me through all this!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[UThobbyfarmer]

For sure. I couldn't leave you and the chick hanging. Wish I could have helped more. I'm glad it's still wiggling. Always a good sign.

 

[K0k0shka]

For sure. I couldn't leave you and the chick hanging. Wish I could have helped more. I'm glad it's still wiggling. Always a good sign.

You have been VERY helpful. With tips and with emotional support. I hope the poor little thing pulls through... I really want some of those pretty partridge orps, that’s why I’m doing all this
Humidity is at 82% right now, so hopefully it won’t dry out and get even more shrink wrapped.

 

[K0k0shka]

@Pyxis do you think you could give me your expert opinion on this first time assist? From the last couple pages of this thread. Malpositioned shipped egg, no internal pip and distressed movements, but I can’t find the beak

 

[K0k0shka]

It’s not moving anymore I’ll give it another hour or two and check again.

 

[CluckNDoodle]

I'm sorry the little one didn't make it. Malpositions are the most difficult assists and have the lowest success rates. You did everything you could to give the little one a chance.

 

[UThobbyfarmer]

I'm sorry the little one didn't make it. Malpositions are the most difficult assists and have the lowest success rates. You did everything you could to give the little one a chance.

Thank you for popping over to lend your assistance! You're the best.

It appears the little one might have already expired. Very sad. We were all hoping for a different outcome.

 

[K0k0shka]

Thank you both for your input. The baby has unfortunately died I did an eggtopsy, and the beak was nowhere near where I was looking. It was under the left wing instead of the right wing. The feet were in the proper position, but the beak was way too low on the side of the egg, not near the air cell. By the time I eggtopsied it, there were no more large blood vessels left, and no yolk sack, just the empty case of the yolk sac looking like they look when a normal chick hatches, but at the time I candled it, there was one very visible and very big blood vessel (seen when I candled) around the back near where the head was, that's why I was afraid to peel there and didn't go that far... Maybe I should have, at the risk of it bleeding out? It looks like it finished absorbing everything, but the holes I made in the membrane weren't in the right place to save it, and/or it was unable to finish turning because it dried out, or didn't have enough shell left to push against... So maybe it could've made it in more experienced hands, but unfortunately it only had me. The membrane was still perfectly clear, from the coconut oil, and was pliable in most places and easy to peel back, but it had started to get stuck in one spot. Not sure if that's what glued it and prevented it from moving.

I am SO sad, not so much because a chick died - I expected and, in fact, was hoping for that, because I'd have too many chicks otherwise - but because out of this color variety, from the 6 eggs the breeder sent me, 5 have died, leaving me with only 1, which might be a rooster. The death rates are just so wildly disproportionate. So far, of the 6 confirmed dead eggs (including early blood rings), out of 22 sent and 4 varieties, 5 are Partridges, and 1 is Silver Laced Orpington. All the Lemon Cuckoo Orpingtons he sent have hatched perfectly, there are none left. So the statistics seem too skewed for random chance, especially considering all the varieties that came from the same farm, and flew the same distance. The partridges just don't seem very viable, for some reason. What a shame, they are the prettiest! If my one remaining partridge is a rooster, I'm gonna need to find a way to get more next time... I'm not sure if shipping day old chicks that far would yield better results

 

[CluckNDoodle]

Thank you for popping over to lend your assistance! You're the best.

It appears the little one might have already expired. Very sad. We were all hoping for a different outcome.

Thank you both for your input. The baby has unfortunately died I did an eggtopsy, and the beak was nowhere near where I was looking. It was under the left wing instead of the right wing. The feet were in the proper position, but the beak was way too low on the side of the egg, not near the air cell. By the time I eggtopsied it, there were no more large blood vessels left, and no yolk sack, just the empty case of the yolk sac looking like they look when a normal chick hatches, but at the time I candled it, there was one very visible and very big blood vessel (seen when I candled) around the back near where the head was, that's why I was afraid to peel there and didn't go that far... Maybe I should have, at the risk of it bleeding out? It looks like it finished absorbing everything, but the holes I made in the membrane weren't in the right place to save it, and/or it was unable to finish turning because it dried out, or didn't have enough shell left to push against... So maybe it could've made it in more experienced hands, but unfortunately it only had me. The membrane was still perfectly clear, from the coconut oil, and was pliable in most places and easy to peel back, but it had started to get stuck in one spot. Not sure if that's what glued it and prevented it from moving.

I am SO sad, not so much because a chick died - I expected and, in fact, was hoping for that, because I'd have too many chicks otherwise - but because out of this color variety, from the 6 eggs the breeder sent me, 5 have died, leaving me with only 1, which might be a rooster. The death rates are just so wildly disproportionate. So far, of the 6 confirmed dead eggs (including early blood rings), out of 22 sent and 4 varieties, 5 are Partridges, and 1 is Silver Laced Orpington. All the Lemon Cuckoo Orpingtons he sent have hatched perfectly, there are none left. So the statistics seem too skewed for random chance, especially considering all the varieties that came from the same farm, and flew the same distance. The partridges just don't seem very viable, for some reason. What a shame, they are the prettiest! If my one remaining partridge is a rooster, I'm gonna need to find a way to get more next time... I'm not sure if shipping day old chicks that far would yield better results

I'm sorry I wasn't able to chime in earlier, UT did a wonderful job walking you through it though and I'm not sure I could have done any better. Finding the beak is the hardest part when dealing with malpositions because once they're getting oxygen you have waaaay more time to sit on your hands and wait for everything to absorb properly. I've stayed awake many nights waiting for chicks to absorb enough blood for me to assist more fully when I can't find the beak and even then sometimes it doesn't work out. It definitely wasn't from your inexperience, you did a great job and we all had to start somewhere when learning to assist!

You will always have a higher number of malpositions, scrambled eggs that don't develop, quitters, etc. with shipped eggs so it's hard to say what exactly happened but it's possible that there was also some stress on the breeding flock prior to shipment as well. I hope the rest of your hatch went more smoothly!

 

[UThobbyfarmer]

Thank you both for your input. The baby has unfortunately died I did an eggtopsy, and the beak was nowhere near where I was looking. It was under the left wing instead of the right wing. The feet were in the proper position, but the beak was way too low on the side of the egg, not near the air cell. By the time I eggtopsied it, there were no more large blood vessels left, and no yolk sack, just the empty case of the yolk sac looking like they look when a normal chick hatches, but at the time I candled it, there was one very visible and very big blood vessel (seen when I candled) around the back near where the head was, that's why I was afraid to peel there and didn't go that far... Maybe I should have, at the risk of it bleeding out? It looks like it finished absorbing everything, but the holes I made in the membrane weren't in the right place to save it, and/or it was unable to finish turning because it dried out, or didn't have enough shell left to push against... So maybe it could've made it in more experienced hands, but unfortunately it only had me. The membrane was still perfectly clear, from the coconut oil, and was pliable in most places and easy to peel back, but it had started to get stuck in one spot. Not sure if that's what glued it and prevented it from moving.

I am SO sad, not so much because a chick died - I expected and, in fact, was hoping for that, because I'd have too many chicks otherwise - but because out of this color variety, from the 6 eggs the breeder sent me, 5 have died, leaving me with only 1, which might be a rooster. The death rates are just so wildly disproportionate. So far, of the 6 confirmed dead eggs (including early blood rings), out of 22 sent and 4 varieties, 5 are Partridges, and 1 is Silver Laced Orpington. All the Lemon Cuckoo Orpingtons he sent have hatched perfectly, there are none left. So the statistics seem too skewed for random chance, especially considering all the varieties that came from the same farm, and flew the same distance. The partridges just don't seem very viable, for some reason. What a shame, they are the prettiest! If my one remaining partridge is a rooster, I'm gonna need to find a way to get more next time... I'm not sure if shipping day old chicks that far would yield better results

You did everything right. Don't second guess yourself. The time window between absorbing the blood and suffocating would have been incredibly small. If it was there at all.

As for the statistics of the individual breeds and color varieties I have noticed that too! It's uncanny. Some eggs absolutely ship better than other. Even in the same box. I think it has a lot to do with the breeder flock (age of birds, genetics/inbreeding, eggs size and overall health) , how fresh the eggs were when shipped. My February hatch I had like 8 breeds from 1 breeder. Some breeds all quit within a day of each other (no other breeds did in that time window). Other were super robust and all hatched healthy. Another breed were all a full day late and pipped but then struggled to hatch. It was a very eye opening hatch for me.

From the hatch a longs I know others had similar experience with the exact same breeder but the breeds that struggled/thrived switched! I have some theories on this it like to test out but my last chicks of the year hatch tomorrow. So I won't have a chance till next spring.

If I ever really want a certain type of bird I buy chicks. Right now is a really terrible time to be shipping anything. I've heard some horror stories about delays. The system is just so over taxes because of the current state of affairs.