Blood Veins and Absorbed Yolk???

[Mimi13]

This egg was one of four eggs under my third broody. The first three hatched early in the morning on Day 20. She left the nest early in the morning on Day 21. I got the egg and candled it and saw there was an internal pip. Still not thinking it was alive, I opened it and peeled it back over the air cell (probably a little too much.) The chick was and is still very much alive and in the incubator. I put coconut oil on the inner membrane yesterday because the blood veins were still full. It has been like this for 24+ hours now.

My questions are:

• Does it look as though the blood has receded enough, and
• would the yolk already be absorbed?

Today is Day 21 for the chick. I do see it still “chewing” occasionally like it is still absorbing the yolk.

Any thoughts? Please and thank you to all the egg experts!

@WVduckchick @casportpony

ETA: in the morning. The way I had it written made it sound like the Chicks hatched early and the broody left the nest early, which could be the case (a little bit) I guess, but not what I was meaning exactly.

 

[Mimi13]

Unfortunately I did not get a video of actually peeling the membrane back and then removing bits of shell, but I have a video of the veins that remained in the shell. Once I saw the remaining veins (not terrible) and no yolk, I wanted to set HER back in the shell and place her in a cup, but she popped on out. I hurriedly pinched the two attached veins loose and held onto them and put some corn starch on it.

Veins Remaining in shell

This video shows the Booty Remnants and Vein Across Back.

This last video was taken 40 Minutes After Hatch.

She is very vocal and active and I believe she will make it. Once again my fingers are crossed!

I will update everyone though.

Thank you to all for your “virtual support!”

 

[Mimi13]

Saturday morning I finally decided to bring in a brood mate to this little chick I helped hatch. I hated to take one away from Molly Marans, my broody, but it was in everyone’s best interest...if it worked that is! She didn’t like it one bit either.

I got the smallest of the three and put ‘her’ in with Blackfoot, aka Slick. (My sidekick grandson gave ‘her’ the Indian sounding name because that’s how he distinguished her from Molly’s chick. I called her Slick simply because her head and face down are slicked back because of the coconut oil I used on the membrane.)

All went unbelievably well for which I was thankful! A lot of staring on the part of Slick because she had never seen another chick before and the usual toe pecking, from both.

 

[Crestcrazy2]

Proceed VERY carefully

 

[Granny Hatchet]

If you do open it can you do another video doing so?

 

[WVduckchick]

To me, it looks like the blood vessels are receded and it’s ready to hatch. you could gently snip some of the membrane where it’s fully clear (up around the head/beak) and fold the membrane back. (Kinda like a bag in a trash can lol) I would expect the chick to try to maneuver its head out. If it does so, you can shine a light down it’s belly and look for yolk. But from what I can see on the video, I think it’s ready.

 

[Mimi13]

Slick and Molly’s chick are not a lot different in size at all. That surprised me because there is a little over two days difference in age. Slick is so stubby looking compared to the other chick. She came from one of my Ameraucanas and is the only chick (out of 11) to have a pea comb. Her stubby booty makes her look like an Aracauna, but she does have a tiny tail. My almost 4 year old grandson loves our chickens and ducks and can be a tremendous help...at times! He always has their best interest at heart, as evidenced here when he picked up a piece of poop and told them that wasn’t good for them.

 

[casportpony]

@WVduckchick and @Pyxis are better at this than I am.

 

[Granny Hatchet]

Aww how sweet. Do you think it was the right time or a few more hours ?
@WVduckchick

 

[Mimi13]

Aww how sweet. Do you think it was the right time or a few more hours ?
@WVduckchick

I think I got her out right at the very beginning of the earliest possible time to do so, if that makes any sense. If I had tried any sooner I don’t think I’d have had a good outcome. I look at the inside of every shell that hatches here (I don’t have a great many) and they all still have visible red veins attached to the membrane. However, those shells have always been a little bit drier — bloodwise — I think.

She is doing very well, maneuvering all around the incubator. My biggest worry now is a brood mate. I had hoped she would have hatched closer to the others in hopes of slipping her underneath OR pulling the last one hatched from the broody as a brood mate. But, I’m afraid too much time has elapsed. Any suggestions?