I am pretty sure that the one that started to hatch yesterday is dead. I got all the chicks out of the brooder and it isn't moving or making any noise. Now do I try to help it or do an eggtopsy or what? I don't hear anything or see anything from the other eggs.
I actually did open the one that died and it was a perfectly formed little chick. He did look bigger than my barred rocks did. All the yolk was reabsorbed. In retrospect I should have stayed up last night to help him out but he started picking at his shell so I figured he was better off without my help. I guess you can only know that after the eggtopsy though.
Is it worth candling the ones I was pretty sure about now? Would I be able to see anything that would help me decide? So frustrating.
11 BCM eggs
1 died while hatching
4 were dead when cracked on day #23, but definitely filled the shell. Did not appear to have internally pipped but I'm not sure how I would know
2 looked pretty developed but were much smaller and didn't fill the shell (died at lockdown or so?)
5 had no solid matter and either yellow or creamy liquid came out.
I had 1 Barred Rock that developed pretty far and died apparently in the last few days (didn't fill up shell but looked pretty advanced) and 1 that just looked like egg yolk.
Any thoughts as to why so many died in the last few days??