Autopsy and Thank You

[deerlady11]

I love critters...love love love them. My husband is an avid hunter and has no problem butchering our dinner. I myself have never killed an animal. I just can't. That being said in the past when I have had an egg that didn't hatch I always have my son or my husband take it outside to dispose of it and tell me if there was a chick in it. Well one of my last eggs to hatch had piped early yesterday morning, by 9 to 10 in the evening others that had piped after had already hatched but I was trying to be patient. I noticed there was no movement and something seemed off. So I decided to assist. The chick was dead. Now I could of stopped there. Normally I would of stopped there because I feel so sad but I didn't. I dissected that egg layer by layer and let me tell you something I learned more from that dead little chick than I thought I could have. I really encourage those who are shy about this type of thing to go for it. Its one thing reading all the wonderful information here in the backyard forum but it's a whole different story when this information comes to life right before your eyes. The little chick has already died. You can't harm it. Make the most of it and learn!

Which leads me to my next topic. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU to all those out there in the forums that are here for us around the clock to help us step by step. Thank you for sharing all your experiences and knowledge when it comes to the world of chickens.

I found these particular links to be extremely helpful not just for assisting but even when it came to the autopsy.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/step-by-step-guide-to-assisted-hatching
http://www.thepoultrysite.com/artic...-hatchery-practice-examining-the-hatch-debris

There really is a lot more to hatching eggs than just tossing some eggs in an incubator and 21 days later hoping some chicks hatch.

Thank you again for your helpfulness and patience for all of us beginners.

 

[sourland]

Well done on your part.

 

[AmyLynn2374]

I agree. My very first hatch I did not eggtopsy, did not even open them. Tossed them at day 26 I think it was. I regretted it for weeks. Next hatch I eggtopsied and it is amazing what you can learn from it. It's sad sure, but you gain knowledge in that death so it's not in vain. I always recommend doing eggtopsies now.