Do something or give it more time?

[Duck Drover]

This Barnevelder chick hatched this morning with a bulge that looks like a combination of intestine and yolk. I have left it alone because it is doing well otherwise and the other chicks (Barnevelder and Black Copper Marans) are not bothering it. Should I try pushing the prolapse inside the opening or continue to do nothing?

 

[Duck Drover]

Either no one knows what is wrong with this chick or no one has any advise to share. I have another chick that died during hatching. It unzipped about a fourth of the way around the shell before it died. When I opened it to see what happened this is what the yolk sack looks like. There is white fatty looking growth outside the chick's body that resembles this other chick (that is doing fine so far) with the same sort of material hanging from it. I don't know if this is genetic but I suspect it is because every chick has had this problem with two hatching and two dying during the hatch. I don't know how many more will hatch at this point.

I did have five healthy Black Copper Marans hatch and a sixth one that had a small amount of yolk to absorb. One died during hatching but I have no idea why because it looks fine but it was tight in the shell so maybe it got stuck.

Here are pictures of the Barnevelder with the growth (looks almost like a tumor to me). I have asked if there is a chance the rooster is related to the hens because it seems genetic but I have another batch that is due to hatch in another incubator next week so I can compare that hatch to this one.

 

[Duck Drover]

The last three pictures show the other side of the mass so hopefully I have shown it well enough someone might know what it is and what may have caused it.

 

[NJchixs]

I'm sorry I don't know much about what is wrong with the one that died. How is the other doing? I'm afraid I don't think it will make it if that's intestine hanging out. Is it just umbilical stump? It may shrivel up and fall off. I had a chick born with one smaller but it just kept popping out. I used suture glue (like super glue) to close it. But you have to be careful your only glue the skin. Very tricky.

 

[Duck Drover]

The one that died hatching seems to have a much larger mass than the one that hatched. The second one that hatched had an even smaller mass and it seems to have pulled in with just a small stump so I think it will be fine. I will try taking more pictures of the one that is in the first pictures. The mass is a white color now so the yolk part seems to have absorbed leaving this fatty looking tissue hangiing out. It does not resemble intestines as much as it looks like a tumor. I will have my daughter hold it again so I can get pictures. I have washed it with antibacterial dish soap and I poured hydrogen peroxide on the mass so I want to let the chick dry and rest before I try taking pictures.

 

[Duck Drover]

The chick is still alive but I am pretty sure it is intestines. I had chicks that did not hatch and they all had intestines outside of their bodies. Is this genetic? I assume it must be but I have never seen anything like it. The chick is on its feet moving around so I don't have the heart to kill it. The second one has a bit sticking out but not as bad and I am expecting it will die too. I am just putting peroxide on to fight infection. The chicks have water with Karo syrup and vitamins but I don't want to try giving them chick starter and risk impaction.

 

[Duck Drover]

The chick was dead this morning as I suspected it would be. The second one is doing great, though. Fortunately I have a Black Copper Marans chick that did not sell with the others because it was not on its feet at the time the buyer picked up the rest of the chicks. I am glad I held it back or I would have a lonely Barnevelder chick and the BC' chick may not have survived since the one hatched at the same time that seemed stronger ended up dying shortly after it left here.

The woman I bought the eggs from told me that her Barnevelder rooster is related to two or three of her five hens. That would explain the large number of unhatched and dead chicks. She gave me some more eggs to hatch so I will assume that anything that lives is out of the two unrelated hens. I suggested she get a new rooster in order to have viable eggs for hatching. I don't want to go through the high mortality again but at least now I know to expect a poor hatch from the eggs due this weekend and from the eggs I need to put in the incubator.

 

[loveourbirds]

The chick was dead this morning as I suspected it would be. The second one is doing great, though. Fortunately I have a Black Copper Marans chick that did not sell with the others because it was not on its feet at the time the buyer picked up the rest of the chicks. I am glad I held it back or I would have a lonely Barnevelder chick and the BC' chick may not have survived since the one hatched at the same time that seemed stronger ended up dying shortly after it left here.

The woman I bought the eggs from told me that her Barnevelder rooster is related to two or three of her five hens. That would explain the large number of unhatched and dead chicks. She gave me some more eggs to hatch so I will assume that anything that lives is out of the two unrelated hens. I suggested she get a new rooster in order to have viable eggs for hatching. I don't want to go through the high mortality again but at least now I know to expect a poor hatch from the eggs due this weekend and from the eggs I need to put in the incubator.

this is just my experience, others may have better advice. but I had all sorts of troubles from double laced barnevelders, quitters during hatch, quitters during incubation, chicks that had good legs and feet but couldn't stand long enough to walk, neurological troubles, tumors, and even sudden unexplainable death. if I hatched 25 chicks 3 might have made it to adults. (with any other breed I easily raise 22 out of 25)

I asked on the barnevelder thred here on byc, for anyone who had good disease resistant stock, with good growth. I got back a few replies but when I seen the pics they were all single laced.

I searched pretty hard for double laced barnevelder bantams this past spring, everyone I talked to said they had similar problems to my large fowl stock. most would not try to breed them again.

if it were me, I would cross with a welsummer, then breed back to barnevelder. but this is just 2 cent advice.