Just had to let everyone know that I was able to keep two little chicks from dying in the shell~~I had read some posts here on BYC & used the advice in "helping" them out of their shells & it worked.
Two eggs could not seem to make it out of their shells: one had pipped just about 1/2" and the other had zipped around about 1 1/2" and just stayed there for 8 or more hours without advancing. I believed I would lose them if I did not do anything so I carefully peeled away their shells very, very slowly with a pair of disinfected tweezers. If there was any bleeding, I would pour some warm water over the area with an eye dropper being careful not to get any into their air hole on their beaks. I then place a clean paper towel over the affected area a little while. Then I would continue. Both chicks had a very sticky "extra" membrane all around them that was very strange to me.
I put them back in the incubator to see if they would be OK. And they were!
The first chick, I removed almost all of the shell except a larger chunk where the chick was attached to the shell. (Maybe I removed too much, I thought at first) The second chick, I tried to leave all of the area around the bottom half of the egg so it could push out with its feet. Both of them are now in my brooder, healthy & cheeping just like all the other normally hatched chicks.
It is the first time I have tried anything like this & I am so happy that it worked. Thanks to all of you at BYC I now have one Buff Orpington & 1 Beautiful Silkie chick!
Two eggs could not seem to make it out of their shells: one had pipped just about 1/2" and the other had zipped around about 1 1/2" and just stayed there for 8 or more hours without advancing. I believed I would lose them if I did not do anything so I carefully peeled away their shells very, very slowly with a pair of disinfected tweezers. If there was any bleeding, I would pour some warm water over the area with an eye dropper being careful not to get any into their air hole on their beaks. I then place a clean paper towel over the affected area a little while. Then I would continue. Both chicks had a very sticky "extra" membrane all around them that was very strange to me.
I put them back in the incubator to see if they would be OK. And they were!
The first chick, I removed almost all of the shell except a larger chunk where the chick was attached to the shell. (Maybe I removed too much, I thought at first) The second chick, I tried to leave all of the area around the bottom half of the egg so it could push out with its feet. Both of them are now in my brooder, healthy & cheeping just like all the other normally hatched chicks.
It is the first time I have tried anything like this & I am so happy that it worked. Thanks to all of you at BYC I now have one Buff Orpington & 1 Beautiful Silkie chick!
