Assist or not

[Vconde09]

What do I do bout the glued down feathers on the chick I had to assist?

 

[FluffyButtBabies]

The feathers should dry out and be fluffy on their own after a few hours. Just move them to the brooder with a heater to dry off, so they don't get cold. Don't give him a bath! That could lead to other problems.

 

[Vconde09]

The feathers should dry out and be fluffy on their own after a few hours. Just move them to the brooder with a heater to dry off, so they don't get cold. Don't give him a bath! That could lead to other problems.

I put it back in the incubator to dry off.i have one other chick in there that hatched yesterday so it's not lonely

 

[LynnaePB]

I'm glad to hear you successfully got the little one out! They often are much less energetic than other chicks for the first day or so if they got stuck for long. An electrolyte solution can be good to help hold them over (something like save a chick) or in a pinch sugar water will give them a temporary boost. I'd see what the little one does on his or her own for awhile but if it isn't perking up at all by tonight you may want to carefully give it the electrolyte solution by dripping a bit on the side of the beak and letting the chick swallow. Whenever you have to give liquids to such a young baby you risk aspiration so I'd wait for a bit and only do it if it looks like it really needs it.

Sounds like you made the right call by leaving the other to unzip on its own since it was still doing the chewing motion (why do they sometimes want to come out before they are ready)!

Good luck, I hope your little chick will perk up and do well for you!

 

[Vconde09]

I'm glad to hear you successfully got the little one out! They often are much less energetic than other chicks for the first day or so if they got stuck for long. An electrolyte solution can be good to help hold them over (something like save a chick) or in a pinch sugar water will give them a temporary boost. I'd see what the little one does on his or her own for awhile but if it isn't perking up at all by tonight you may want to carefully give it the electrolyte solution by dripping a bit on the side of the beak and letting the chick swallow. Whenever you have to give liquids to such a young baby you risk aspiration so I'd wait for a bit and only do it if it looks like it really needs it.

Sounds like you made the right call by leaving the other to unzip on its own since it was still doing the chewing motion (why do they sometimes want to come out before they are ready)!

Good luck, I hope your little chick will perk up and do well for you!

Well it's moving around another more and chirping.i had to help another chick out as well.but both are doing great.Can tell them getting stuck really toke it out of them.their feathers are glued down to them so that is that.

I think.im done with hatching I never have good hatch rates and have issues at hatching time even when I do things to the T.

 

[LynnaePB]

Well it's moving around another more and chirping.i had to help another chick out as well.but both are doing great.Can tell them getting stuck really toke it out of them.their feathers are glued down to them so that is that.

I think.im done with hatching I never have good hatch rates and have issues at hatching time even when I do things to the T.

Glad to hear it is up and moving around a little, that is a very good sign!

Hmmm with multiples getting stuck and having the glued down feathers I'm wondering if maybe humidity was a little high during incubation. They sound like they may be "sticky chicks".

I go by how the air cells are developing more so than with a specific humidity. Appropriately sized air cells usually correlate with 25-40% humidity for me for the first 18 days. The humidity readout on the incubator can sometimes be inaccurate so it's important to have some calibrated hydrometers to check humidity as well.

I know a lot of incubating instructions recommend a humidity that for me would end up with a lot of issues at hatch.

The incubator you use can make a big difference too. I'm guessing it's likely either a humidity or incubator issue but there is also the chance there is issues with the breeding stock or how the eggs were handled/stored before incubation.

 

[Vconde09]

Glad to hear it is up and moving around a little, that is a very good sign!

Hmmm with multiples getting stuck and having the glued down feathers I'm wondering if maybe humidity was a little high during incubation. They sound like they may be "sticky chicks".

I go by how the air cells are developing more so than with a specific humidity. Appropriately sized air cells usually correlate with 25-40% humidity for me for the first 18 days. The humidity readout on the incubator can sometimes be inaccurate so it's important to have some calibrated hydrometers to check humidity as well.

I know a lot of incubating instructions recommend a humidity that for me would end up with a lot of issues at hatch.

The incubator you use can make a big difference too. I'm guessing it's likely either a humidity or incubator issue but there is also the chance there is issues with the breeding stock or how the eggs were handled/stored before incubation.

I kept Low humidity through the whole incubation besides lock down.i had one chick get out of its egg just fine and fluffed up.i never opened the incubator either except to assist so idk I am at a lost.i did lose power a couple times through the process so idk.

 

[LynnaePB]

I kept Low humidity through the whole incubation besides lock down.i had one chick get out of its egg just fine and fluffed up.i never opened the incubator either except to assist so idk I am at a lost.i did lose power a couple times through the process so idk.

Hmmm if the humidity was low and the air cells looked like they were appropriately sized than I'd lean more towards a breeding stock issue or egg storage issue. The outages might have affected the hatch as well.

How about the incubator, is it one that is typically reliable and has chicks hatching generally within 24 hours of each other on or near day 21?

Were these eggs from your own chickens? Local? Shipped?

I've got a few great incubators and I've generally figured out what works for me as far as humidity goes. I still run into issues that I've found to be breeding stock related or because the eggs were stored at nonoptimal temperatures (our current house doesn't have central heating/cooling so it's hard to get it in the right range sometimes).

I breed silkies and even with good storage temperatures I find the cock I use over my girls can have a huge impact on hatchability. Some just seem to have eggs/chicks that aren't as hardy and are more prone to quitting and needing assistance.

 

[Vconde09]

Hmmm if the humidity was low and the air cells looked like they were appropriately sized than I'd lean more towards a breeding stock issue or egg storage issue. The outages might have affected the hatch as well.

How about the incubator, is it one that is typically reliable and has chicks hatching generally within 24 hours of each other on or near day 21?

Were these eggs from your own chickens? Local? Shipped?

I've got a few great incubators and I've generally figured out what works for me as far as humidity goes. I still run into issues that I've found to be breeding stock related or because the eggs were stored at nonoptimal temperatures (our current house doesn't have central heating/cooling so it's hard to get it in the right range sometimes).

I breed silkies and even with good storage temperatures I find the cock I use over my girls can have a huge impact on hatchability. Some just seem to have eggs/chicks that aren't as hardy and are more prone to quitting and needing assistance.

First time using this incubator.I used eggs from my own chickens so I have no clue!very frustrating

 

[LynnaePB]

First time using this incubator.I used eggs from my own chickens so I have no clue!very frustrating

First time with this incubator and with a couple power outages it could very well be that the eggs from your chickens are fine and it was due to other issues. What kind of incubator did you use? Did you have calibrated hydrometers and thermometers to compare with the incubators readout? Some incubators are just awful and upgrading to a better one can make all the difference in the world.

It definitely can be frustrating trying to pinpoint a problem. If you are able to I bet you can get some great hatches in future though!