Dealing with the marginally alive ones

[MomFoldingLaundry]

Given I open the lid of my incubator too often, I often end up having to rescue shrink wrapped chicks. That happened today, and I helped 2 chicks out of their shells after thyey'd pipped but failed to unzip.

They were both alive, but only marginally so when I left to run an errand. I put them in the incuabator, figuring they'd either live or die by the time I got back. Well, it's 2 hours later, and I got back and they are right where I left them, still not standing. Though they are perhaps ever so slightly more alive...

Now, usuAlly when I rescue shrink=wrapped chicks, I rub them until they are dry in front of a heater. Basically stimulating them into awakeness. I can't decide if I want to do that with these guys. I'm loathe to open the lid again, given how easily I shrink wrapped these two. None seem pipped right now, but... you know how it is. I don't want to make a bad situation worse.

What day you guys? grab em out and run then awake in the brooder? Or hope they get there on their own?

 

[JaeG]

I tend to take them out and put them straight in the brooder as my brooder is always warmer than it needs to be (in one spot under the heatlamp) and they dry out so much faster than if they are left in the incubator. But then I don't tend to worry about opening my incubator even while chicks are hatching as our ambient humidity is pretty high during summer (it's often more humid outside the incubator than in).

I'm sure they'll be fine where they are at the moment. Just wait and see if they recover - they might surprise you.

I've had quail chicks that I thought could not survive by the way they were acting, but then they perk up and are absolutely fine. And sometimes they just don't seem to recover from hatching and fail to thrive. I always give them a chance though.

 

[MomFoldingLaundry]

I tend to take them out and put them straight in the brooder as my brooder is always warmer than it needs to be (in one spot under the heatlamp) and they dry out so much faster than if they are left in the incubator. But then I don't tend to worry about opening my incubator even while chicks are hatching as our ambient humidity is pretty high during summer (it's often more humid outside the incubator than in).

I'm sure they'll be fine where they are at the moment. Just wait and see if they recover - they might surprise you.

I've had quail chicks that I thought could not survive by the way they were acting, but then they perk up and are absolutely fine. And sometimes they just don't seem to recover from hatching and fail to thrive. I always give them a chance though.

I took them out and put them in the brooder. Have them some water with electrolytes and a little sugar. One of them, I'm sure will be fine. The other? Meh.

I feel like it does them good to be in a brooder with other chicks, getting walked on and pecked at like they would be in a nest.

I always dip my newborns' beaks in the water several times a day for the first 48 hours. It's never hurt anyone of them, and I haven't had any die of heat/dehydration since my first hatch.

 

[maadroj]

I put in a small piece of damp paper to help bring the incubator humidity back up after opening the incubator. You could try something like that if you're worried next time. Good luck!

 

[MomFoldingLaundry]

I put in a small piece of damp paper to help bring the incubator humidity back up after opening the incubator. You could try something like that if you're worried next time. Good luck!

Yeah, I've taken to adding water through straws.

I got messed up because my old humidifier was always too wet. My new one has a fan like a wind tunnel, so as soon as you open it, all the air leaves. I wish there were a way to pause the fan.

 

[CovidtimeQuail]

Mist the air around the incubator with water, then open. This should keep the humidity from dropping too much.

 

[FloorCandy]

I take a piece of extra shelf liner, dip it in water and wring it out, I toss it in as I remove the dry chicks, and I leave at least one chick in to call, which hurries the rest along. The shelf liner has a lot of surface area to expel humidity and gets it back up in seconds every time. Sometimes even without opening at all you get a shrink wrap because the chick just takes too long, or the hatched chicks are sticking their little beaks in the pip hole and stealing the moisture somehow. I try not to take any out until they’ve been in for like 12+ hours and I’m going to bed. Then I get a bowl with high sides and I scoop them in as fast as I can.

As far as weak chicks laying on their sides, I give warm water with nutridrench or sugar, and I often sprinkle some (the tiniest amount) dust from their food in, so it is still normal liquid, but has a couple nutrients here and there. I’ve had chicks lay on their side for 2 days and suddenly be walking around when I wake up day 3. Be advised they will probably need their toes fixed, if they don’t walk on them when they’re new and soft, they often won’t spread and flatten on their own.

 

[MDBird]

I use a dropper with Nutradrench with the ones that have a hard time getting going and it seems to work pretty well.