Little Runt appears alive and well this morning
...although still a bit slower than the siblings...which should be expected due to hatch time difference and a rough start...but he/she was tucked safely under Momma Silkie on AM check, and ran around with the others when I lifted Momma.
However, upon looking under Momma, the egg that was partially hatched yesterday, and which she was SO protective of yesterday, was still only partially hatched, peeping less vigorously, and mom seemed less concerned... even getting up to check me for treats and kicking dust shavings into the partially hatched egg.
Oh boy...I hate these types of decisions...since I've had lousy luck with late hatchers once the older siblings start to move around, I took that egg and brought it into the house. The membranes were dry and the chick about 1/4 to 1/2 exposed but appeared glued to the shell and membrane...fearing a shrink wrap situation arising, I threw caution to the wind (believing it had better luck with me than back with mom and the awakening siblings) and helped a bit more with the egg and the chick. I gently kept chipping dry glue away, with the chick pushing and peeping, checking to make sure no veins were live (which they weren't...it was all dry). I eventually got it out, for better or worse of me.
However, while the yolk sac was completely absorbed, and that area looks pretty good, the chick does have a sealed but protuding naval which was stuck to very dry umbilical....so I doused the naval area with Chlorhexiderm and put this baby in the mini-incubator to dry. I fear I may have rushed things a bit for it...or not....but I've simply not had good luck with chicks if they don't hatch with the others but linger in the shells half hatched for more than half a day...to date I've lost every one of those "late bloomers" so I decided to be more aggressive with this one....hopefully I've helped and not hindered....Now I've set myself up to figure out what to do with a chick with a protuding naval...hopefully upon drying the neval will completely recede or dry and fall off like a human's. (Guess I'll find out).
Oh well...the saga continues....as of the moment 3 hatched and looking good and with Momma, 1 drying in the incubator, and 1 egg in the incubator that had movement last night but no more progression or movement this morning.
Whew...all to get a breed I can't get here locally. I've NEVER had this much problem with locally supplied eggs...I wonder if it is just the luck of the draw or the effects of eggs being shook across country? Or genetics of the line? Hmmmmm.
I'll post hopefully good news and pics soon.
Lady of McCamley
However, upon looking under Momma, the egg that was partially hatched yesterday, and which she was SO protective of yesterday, was still only partially hatched, peeping less vigorously, and mom seemed less concerned... even getting up to check me for treats and kicking dust shavings into the partially hatched egg.
Oh boy...I hate these types of decisions...since I've had lousy luck with late hatchers once the older siblings start to move around, I took that egg and brought it into the house. The membranes were dry and the chick about 1/4 to 1/2 exposed but appeared glued to the shell and membrane...fearing a shrink wrap situation arising, I threw caution to the wind (believing it had better luck with me than back with mom and the awakening siblings) and helped a bit more with the egg and the chick. I gently kept chipping dry glue away, with the chick pushing and peeping, checking to make sure no veins were live (which they weren't...it was all dry). I eventually got it out, for better or worse of me.
However, while the yolk sac was completely absorbed, and that area looks pretty good, the chick does have a sealed but protuding naval which was stuck to very dry umbilical....so I doused the naval area with Chlorhexiderm and put this baby in the mini-incubator to dry. I fear I may have rushed things a bit for it...or not....but I've simply not had good luck with chicks if they don't hatch with the others but linger in the shells half hatched for more than half a day...to date I've lost every one of those "late bloomers" so I decided to be more aggressive with this one....hopefully I've helped and not hindered....Now I've set myself up to figure out what to do with a chick with a protuding naval...hopefully upon drying the neval will completely recede or dry and fall off like a human's. (Guess I'll find out).
Oh well...the saga continues....as of the moment 3 hatched and looking good and with Momma, 1 drying in the incubator, and 1 egg in the incubator that had movement last night but no more progression or movement this morning.
Whew...all to get a breed I can't get here locally. I've NEVER had this much problem with locally supplied eggs...I wonder if it is just the luck of the draw or the effects of eggs being shook across country? Or genetics of the line? Hmmmmm.
I'll post hopefully good news and pics soon.
Lady of McCamley
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