Hi there! I just joined after reading the forums for so long. I couldn't find anything specific to what is happening to our little lot though!
For background, we had a really rough time with our eggs. They were put under a broody hen who did great sitting on them but when it came to hatching time, things went awry. Firstly, we lost one chick to another hen trying to steal the nest and crushing it. We isolated her and prayed our brooder would stay put - and she did, thankfully! The next nine chicks came out fine. Some were fairly slow but everybody came out eventually.
However, our last little one had a really bad time. She began hatching at about 9am Sunday and by 6pm, when I checked on them last, she was half-way out of her egg. I thought she would just come out overnight after a bit of a rest but when I checked the next morning at 9am again, she had gone completely fluffy but still had her entire lower half stuck in the egg! I got her membranes wet again and waited with her until she was able to get out.
For the first day, she was fairly limp. Moving but so exhausted! However, this morning I woke up and checked on her and she had been abandoned in the nest by herself. I found the others and their mother having a dust bath nearby and, assuming she just hadn't been able to get through the flower bush they're nesting in, I gently moved her over the group. She immediately tried to go under the mother and the mother stepped right on her back. She went stiff as a board for a moment and I panicked and took her out. She went limp in my hands and I thought she was dead...
But she's still alive. I put her in a nice warm box, gave her some water and tried to feed her some mash and plain yogurt for an energy boost. She's drinking by herself and able to walk but she definitely isn't walking as fast as the others. I've taken her out several times today to rejoin her little flock and she'll try peck around and keep up, but she just can't so she ends up falling asleep and getting left behind. She seems 'rounder' than the others - almost a little hunched, buts he's peeping loudly and has lots of energy when she isn't pooped.
Sorry for being so long, I just wanted to be thorough! I'm just not sure what my next move should be. Right now she's sleeping back in her box. I'm sure both her legs are fine but she does seem to 'flop' a little on her left side, like she's a bit 'heavier' on that side. She's also pooped, so no pasty butt or anything.
Has anybody else had something like this? Should I just put her back with the others and hope she is able to keep up (and accept it if she can't?) I have a huge soft spot for her so I really want to get her up and running around with the others
For background, we had a really rough time with our eggs. They were put under a broody hen who did great sitting on them but when it came to hatching time, things went awry. Firstly, we lost one chick to another hen trying to steal the nest and crushing it. We isolated her and prayed our brooder would stay put - and she did, thankfully! The next nine chicks came out fine. Some were fairly slow but everybody came out eventually.
However, our last little one had a really bad time. She began hatching at about 9am Sunday and by 6pm, when I checked on them last, she was half-way out of her egg. I thought she would just come out overnight after a bit of a rest but when I checked the next morning at 9am again, she had gone completely fluffy but still had her entire lower half stuck in the egg! I got her membranes wet again and waited with her until she was able to get out.
For the first day, she was fairly limp. Moving but so exhausted! However, this morning I woke up and checked on her and she had been abandoned in the nest by herself. I found the others and their mother having a dust bath nearby and, assuming she just hadn't been able to get through the flower bush they're nesting in, I gently moved her over the group. She immediately tried to go under the mother and the mother stepped right on her back. She went stiff as a board for a moment and I panicked and took her out. She went limp in my hands and I thought she was dead...
But she's still alive. I put her in a nice warm box, gave her some water and tried to feed her some mash and plain yogurt for an energy boost. She's drinking by herself and able to walk but she definitely isn't walking as fast as the others. I've taken her out several times today to rejoin her little flock and she'll try peck around and keep up, but she just can't so she ends up falling asleep and getting left behind. She seems 'rounder' than the others - almost a little hunched, buts he's peeping loudly and has lots of energy when she isn't pooped.
Sorry for being so long, I just wanted to be thorough! I'm just not sure what my next move should be. Right now she's sleeping back in her box. I'm sure both her legs are fine but she does seem to 'flop' a little on her left side, like she's a bit 'heavier' on that side. She's also pooped, so no pasty butt or anything.
Has anybody else had something like this? Should I just put her back with the others and hope she is able to keep up (and accept it if she can't?) I have a huge soft spot for her so I really want to get her up and running around with the others
