Hi! I have hatched ducklings before, but this is my first time hatching chicks. I have a question about a chicks bruised eye, but I want to give some background information first.
The last chick to hatch out of this clutch of eggs I incubated took a while to come out of the egg. I was constantly keeping the egg hydrated (spraying water on the bottom half of the egg to keep it from sticking to inside of the egg )
I left for the day for a competition, gave instructions to my family, and trusted they knew what was best. (they were part of the process of hatching ducklings, and we all overcame obstacles together that we came across while incubating and hatching)
When my family came to watch the competition, they said the chick had come out halfway. (shell off the top half, but it was just sitting in the rest of the egg) If I was there, I probably would have taken the bottom half of the egg off, since it had completely absorbed the yolk sac. But I wasn’t, and so that didn’t happen.
Unfortunately, when my family came back, it was still in its eggshell. (6 hours post zipping) But thankfully they managed to get the eggshell off with very little feather loss.
However, there is was a detail that went unnoticed, and seemed fine at first, but made it’s appearance today (24 hours after hatching) When my family came home post competition, they mentioned it had a small shell stuck right above its eye (Could have possibly been poking it’s eye/eye area) . Like the rest of the shell on its body, my sister gently finagled it off. (steamy room, and warm rag)
But today, the eye seems a bit swollen, bruised, and he can’t manage to shut it all the way when napping. It also seems to stand very upright all the time, and looks like it has a hard time laying down. Anyways, here are my questions: Should I be concerned about its walking upright ? What should I do to help the eye heal, and reduce any major swelling, and heal the bruising?
For reference, this little guy is sharing living quarters with 5 other chicks.
(The pictures featured are of his attempt to “close his eye”)
Any help, or thoughts appreciated!
The last chick to hatch out of this clutch of eggs I incubated took a while to come out of the egg. I was constantly keeping the egg hydrated (spraying water on the bottom half of the egg to keep it from sticking to inside of the egg )
I left for the day for a competition, gave instructions to my family, and trusted they knew what was best. (they were part of the process of hatching ducklings, and we all overcame obstacles together that we came across while incubating and hatching)
When my family came to watch the competition, they said the chick had come out halfway. (shell off the top half, but it was just sitting in the rest of the egg) If I was there, I probably would have taken the bottom half of the egg off, since it had completely absorbed the yolk sac. But I wasn’t, and so that didn’t happen.
Unfortunately, when my family came back, it was still in its eggshell. (6 hours post zipping) But thankfully they managed to get the eggshell off with very little feather loss.
However, there is was a detail that went unnoticed, and seemed fine at first, but made it’s appearance today (24 hours after hatching) When my family came home post competition, they mentioned it had a small shell stuck right above its eye (Could have possibly been poking it’s eye/eye area) . Like the rest of the shell on its body, my sister gently finagled it off. (steamy room, and warm rag)
But today, the eye seems a bit swollen, bruised, and he can’t manage to shut it all the way when napping. It also seems to stand very upright all the time, and looks like it has a hard time laying down. Anyways, here are my questions: Should I be concerned about its walking upright ? What should I do to help the eye heal, and reduce any major swelling, and heal the bruising?
For reference, this little guy is sharing living quarters with 5 other chicks.
(The pictures featured are of his attempt to “close his eye”)
Any help, or thoughts appreciated!
