cluckylady812
Songster
Please help me understand what went wrong. I apologize in advance for a possibly long post, I want to include as much info as I can so I can hopefully learn from this experience. So here goes...
1. I went out if town for several days and came home to a broody bantam. She was on 4 eggs, unknown how long... I was gone 5 days and my dh hadn't realized it was the same bird
2. This is a first time broody for a hen only 6 months old. I figured she would lose interest, she didn't. A week later, she was on 6 eggs.
3. She hatched 2 last Wednesday, another hatched Saturday. I left the eggs since I didn't know when which was due, figuring I would go 3-4 days after the last hatch then clear them away. So far so good.
4. Today after work doing chores I went in the coop to do waters etc, there was an egg away from the nest, with almost half the shell gone, the chick seemed fully developed. The shell was missing from the side of the egg, not the ends. There was a bit of blood, a wing seemed damaged like it had been pecked at. I picked it up to dispose if it, heartbroken that it was so close and it peeped! I was shocked as the egg was ice cold.
5. I ran in the house with it, since it was hurt, cold,out if the neat already I was concerned mom would be no help. I placed it on a very warm wet washcloth in a dish, hoping immediate heat and humidity would help, then grabbed a heating pad, towel and tweezers.
6. I rewarmed the cloth. And the chick became more lively in the shell. I set up a heat lamp attached to my Stove hood and. Moved the egg onto the now warm heating pad under the light. I picked off a tiny bit of shell and dried membrane, and the chick was able to hatch out the restvof the way alone. I knew enough to go very slowly, and stop as soon as the chick was trying and making progress.
7. I kept the chick in the warmth, and included down feathers under it. Its wing was severely damaged, from pecking I assume, but no new bleeding after hatch. The chick lived 43 minutes.
8. It was peeping at first, but with rapid breathing, seemed to gasp almost. As time went on, constantly checking temps, breathing remained labored, peeping stopped and it died very quietly.
I've never hatched before, I'm sure I've done something wrong in ignorance, but I couldn't leave it to die once I realized it was still alive. I feel terrible that it came back from an ice cube, managed to hatch out, then die. She has one more egg under her that is pipped? Cracks on the end... I'm terrified something will go wrobg again. I felt very helpless, I didn't know what to do, or how to help. So, since hatching will happen again at some point I'm trying to learn everything I can.
This evening has left me so upset tho.
Again sorry for the long post, and thank you in advance
1. I went out if town for several days and came home to a broody bantam. She was on 4 eggs, unknown how long... I was gone 5 days and my dh hadn't realized it was the same bird
2. This is a first time broody for a hen only 6 months old. I figured she would lose interest, she didn't. A week later, she was on 6 eggs.
3. She hatched 2 last Wednesday, another hatched Saturday. I left the eggs since I didn't know when which was due, figuring I would go 3-4 days after the last hatch then clear them away. So far so good.
4. Today after work doing chores I went in the coop to do waters etc, there was an egg away from the nest, with almost half the shell gone, the chick seemed fully developed. The shell was missing from the side of the egg, not the ends. There was a bit of blood, a wing seemed damaged like it had been pecked at. I picked it up to dispose if it, heartbroken that it was so close and it peeped! I was shocked as the egg was ice cold.
5. I ran in the house with it, since it was hurt, cold,out if the neat already I was concerned mom would be no help. I placed it on a very warm wet washcloth in a dish, hoping immediate heat and humidity would help, then grabbed a heating pad, towel and tweezers.
6. I rewarmed the cloth. And the chick became more lively in the shell. I set up a heat lamp attached to my Stove hood and. Moved the egg onto the now warm heating pad under the light. I picked off a tiny bit of shell and dried membrane, and the chick was able to hatch out the restvof the way alone. I knew enough to go very slowly, and stop as soon as the chick was trying and making progress.
7. I kept the chick in the warmth, and included down feathers under it. Its wing was severely damaged, from pecking I assume, but no new bleeding after hatch. The chick lived 43 minutes.
8. It was peeping at first, but with rapid breathing, seemed to gasp almost. As time went on, constantly checking temps, breathing remained labored, peeping stopped and it died very quietly.
I've never hatched before, I'm sure I've done something wrong in ignorance, but I couldn't leave it to die once I realized it was still alive. I feel terrible that it came back from an ice cube, managed to hatch out, then die. She has one more egg under her that is pipped? Cracks on the end... I'm terrified something will go wrobg again. I felt very helpless, I didn't know what to do, or how to help. So, since hatching will happen again at some point I'm trying to learn everything I can.
This evening has left me so upset tho.
Again sorry for the long post, and thank you in advance
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