Diary & Notes ~ Air Cell Detatched SHIPPED Chicken Eggs for incubation and hatching

[Sally Sunshine]

3D this is for you too!

Homemade Electrolyte Recipe
2 C. Water
2 TBL. Brown Sugar, honey or molasses
1/2 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp. Baking Soda
Mix until all dry ingredients dissolve & Keep refrigerated

You could also use electrolyte drinks Gatorade or Pedialyte, or
3 drops of POLYVISOL (liquid childrens A-B-D vitamins)
Slowly drip along inner edge of lower beak.

 

[Sally Sunshine]

Quote: I know that forum is really odd isnt it!

 

[kaybee123]

Thank you, Sally! Please don't worry about posting, it's the odd man ( and crazy!) that doesn't want your help.

So do you recommend letting them lay on their side to hatch? Even shipped eggs? I guess I'm confused since I've read doing it both ways. :-/. I just want to do what's best for shipped eggs.

 

[Sally Sunshine]

Thank you, Sally! Please don't worry about posting, it's the odd man ( and crazy!) that doesn't want your help.

So do you recommend letting them lay on their side to hatch? Even shipped eggs? I guess I'm confused since I've read doing it both ways. :-/. I just want to do what's best for shipped eggs.

Thanks Kaybee! I researched and read and read some more and found most clinical studies and most hatcheries now switched to lay eggs down for hatch, I put a summary of this in the hatching 101 article down in the day 18 lockdown section.

HOWEVER if you have a loose wobbly air cell on day 18 I suggest you keep it upright for hatch. I found typically if they are still viable on day 18 the air cells dont wobble any more so I lay them with the others, and I always lay my eggs with the lower dip in the air cell up, thats where typical pipping will occur and I can see my pips. I then keep an eye on those weird saddle shaped air cells though, sometimes the air cell doesnt allow for correct positioning so if most hatch and some straggle I will candle and tap to check them out instead of waiting another day, also I wrote about this issue in the hatching 101 article.

when you going into lockdown?

 

[kaybee123]

Right now! I will check out the article first though and then position eggs. Thanks again! I'll return and report what I hatch.

 

[Sally Sunshine]

Right now! I will check out the article first though and then position eggs. Thanks again! I'll return and report what I hatch.

oh wow! Cool! we will hatch together! let me know when u have pips! We go into lockdown with some tomorrow! YAY!

 

[kaybee123]

At this point, do you sometime not see movement on Day 18 candling? Up until today I had movement in thirteen eggs (out of eighteen originally) but tonight I see movement in about five ( some others are too dark to see anything except veining).

 

[frankensusan]

Ok, here's how I treated the slipped tendon. By the way, that is what happened to the chick in my avatar.

Like the site says, you want to strech the chick's leg back (it may be a bit difficult) and use your fingers to gently massage the tendon back into place. It should pop back into place. After that, I take a piece of gause and wrap it around the leg. I then use a portion of a popsicle stick to keep the leg perfectly straight and use bandages or vet wrap to wrap the stick to the leg. She will not enjoy it, and she will walk funny but she needs to keep the leg straight.

I tried chick chairs, but each one was a miserable failure which is why I decided that it's better to simply keep their legs perfectly straight. The designs were good, but the chicks don't cooperate at all! They hate those chairs and will do everything in their power to get out, possibly injuring themselves further. Chick chairs look like good ideas, which is why I tried them 5 different times, but each ended up in failure.

I changed the wrapping daily because it gets dirty and you need to make sure that the tendon is still correctly positioned. I would keep it wrapped for about a week. While changing the wrapping, let the chick bend the leg if she or he chooses to do so. Just make sure the tendon is back in place before you put the wrap back on.

I have had this happen 4 different times. The first time was unsucessful, but she learned how to use her leg in a way that worked for her. She is still alive today happily hobbling around the barn eating and laying eggs just like any other chicken. I do feel bad for her though, her leg is permanently deformed and sometimes she has troubles. The reason she was unsucessful was because I was never able to get the tendon back in place. No matter how hard I tried and no matter how good I wrapped it, the tendon would be back to the side within seconds.

When another chick ended up with a slipped tendon, I followed exactly what I wrote above and he was walking normally after a week. It happned to another 2 chicks after that one and once again, both were walking normally after a week or so. It can take longer so give her time.

If you have any questions, feel free to ask.

Thank you thank you. I am just up and down on this one, sometimes ready to give up sometimes thinking, as long as she's willing to eat and drink that I'll try.
I called a vet and over the phone they said the initial exam would be $60 and that's without xrays... SO... pass on that.
I'm letting her rest unbandaged during my dinner tonight and made her up a hospital bed (a container that has lots of fluffy bedding and no other chicks to step on her). She settled in after a bit and just seemed so relieved.
Her leg has gotten more swollen since this started and more painful for me to try to straighten it out back behind her. I have never been able to find the tendon or see it slip back in place. I will try again after dinner. I guess I just want to make sure that splinting is the right thing to do and that i'm not making it worse by splinting. Hoping the little private nap will allow the swelling to go down a little.
She's a fiesty little thing and totally loves my hand. I think she thinks it's her mom.
Susan

 

[kaybee123]

I laid them out on their sides and saw some of the eggs wobbling!!!!! I can't wait to show my son in the AM!!!!

 

[cochins1088]

Thank you thank you. I am just up and down on this one, sometimes ready to give up sometimes thinking, as long as she's willing to eat and drink that I'll try.
I called a vet and over the phone they said the initial exam would be $60 and that's without xrays... SO... pass on that.
I'm letting her rest unbandaged during my dinner tonight and made her up a hospital bed (a container that has lots of fluffy bedding and no other chicks to step on her). She settled in after a bit and just seemed so relieved.
Her leg has gotten more swollen since this started and more painful for me to try to straighten it out back behind her. I have never been able to find the tendon or see it slip back in place. I will try again after dinner. I guess I just want to make sure that splinting is the right thing to do and that i'm not making it worse by splinting. Hoping the little private nap will allow the swelling to go down a little.
She's a fiesty little thing and totally loves my hand. I think she thinks it's her mom.
Susan

Like I said, I still have the chicken in which it never healed. Her name is Charlie and she's 3 years old. Other than the fact that she has a bum leg, she's perfectly healthy and gets around fine.

Could you take more pictures of her hock? I think the reason Charlie's leg never healed was because I wasn't finding the tendon correctly. I will try to walk you through it. Look her good leg and the legs of the other chicks. (I'm currently looking at my goslings leg for a description and I'm pretty sure a chick leg is very similar) Look at the outsides of their legs. There should be a little 'bump' of a tendon running down their hocks and legs. Then look at her bad leg. If the tendon is still slipped, than it will appear flat and swollen. The tendon has slipped to the side of her leg. When you pull the leg back, use your fingers to gently massge the tendon upwards. Don't be afaird to pull the leg back, if you are worried about pulling too far, grab a healthy chick and see how far it's leg can go back comfortably. You can usually pull it until it's perfectly straight. It will be somewhat difficult to get her leg straight because of the slipped tendon, but not impossible. It will hurt her, she will be in pain, but it's better than a life long deformity. Hopefully you will see and feel the tendon coming into place.

Once you get the tendon in place, just brace her leg so that it's immobile and straight. Once she gets the hang of walking with it (she will eventually) she can be placed with the other chicks.

Sounds like she's starting to imprint on you. It's not very common with chicks and I love when it happens. Don't give up on her.