Emergency!!
- Thread starter laurengeeves
- Start date
Hi Laurengeeves,
It sounds like the yolk sac did not fully absorb. Depending on the amount of yolk sac absorbed, the chick could possibly make it, but be prepared that the chick may not make it more than a day or two. I could not tell by the picture to say one way or the other.
Interfering too soon can have traumatic results. I have lost many chicks by interfering too soon as well as too late. It's a fine line on assisting chicks. Don't feel bad. Some die at hatch for many different reasons. The humidity is too high, the chick drowns, the air sack is too small, the chick can't breathe long enough to pip, the chick is too big and can't absorb the yoke sack, the chick punctured a blood vessel etc..
However, I believe the experience of assisting allows us to learn what to do and what not to do next time. We can only go with our instincts when it comes to struggling chicks. Along with my losses, I have saved many chicks as well paying close attention to the following tips. It gets easier with each hatch deciding if to assist or not. It's a personal decision that every person has to make on their own.
Tips when considering assistance:
1. Did you increase your humidity slightly two or three days before due? Humidity that's too low or too high can cause issues at hatch.
2. If you are able to candle the egg at this point you can see if the chick is still moving in the shell. If you can't candle the eggs then tap the widest end and listen for peeps. If pipped and no progress and your concerned, move to the next step.
3. Assist the hatching process by following the same pattern where the chick pipped carefully removing the shell around the egg enough to allow you to poke through the outer membrane to create breathing space and view the chick. Some people use tweezers to do this. I find my fingers and fingernails are more precise. You do not have to remove even half of the shell, just enough to find the breathing space. IMPORTANT: If you can see a live chick, but the inner membrane is still surrounding the chick's body, all but it's face and the inner membrane has blood vessels showing (they will be rounded vessels full of blood throughout the inner membrane) or you see blood....stop.
4. If the inner membrane still has full blood vessels, if assisted further at this point the yolk sac will not be fully absorbed, if at all, and the chick will most likely die. Hence, please wait until the blood vessels have collapsed and are no longer evident before continuing with any further assistance.
5. If the chick is still covered by the inner membrane, but you *or the chick) have opened the egg significantly take a moistened paper towel and blot the inner membrane to dampen it, be careful not to get to close to where the chick needs to breathe and put the egg back in the incubator. Check on it every few hours. IMPORTANT: watch for shrink wrapping, which means the inner membrane dried out over the chick and this makes it almost impossible for the chick to hatch out itself. At this point, if I still see full blood vessels, I would moisten again, and put the egg back for another hour or two.
6. Once the blood vessels in the inner membrane have completely collapsed and the inner membrane can be easily pulled off the chick, It is safe at this point to hatch the head and wings portion. I always try to ensure the chick has fully absorbed the yolk sac before removing the chick completely from lower half of the shell. It's a bit difficult to see, but if the head and wings are hatched, it's easier to look down toward the belly to view if there's any evidence of yolk sac. If any yolk sac is present, place the chick, with the bottom half of the shell still attached back in the incubator. It most likely will complete the hatch on it's own after fully absorbing the yolk sac. If you feel compelled and sure the yolk sac is fully absorbed, it is okay to completely hatch the chick.
I have only ever assisted chicks and guinea keets. I strongly believe that experience will teach you more than anyone can tell you. It's very sad when a chick, keets, duckling, gosling or what have you dies at hatch, but it happens. The most important thing to watch out for is those blood vessels can easily get punctured during any type of assistance and bleed (and I mean drops of blood) so please be careful. If you accidently puncture a vessel, take a damp tissue and gently press on the bleed. It will stop. A little bit of blood at hatch is normal. Dripping blood is not. Always moisten the inner membrane and the area with the bleed and place the egg back for another hour and check again.
I hope this helps you out.
Take care,
It sounds like the yolk sac did not fully absorb. Depending on the amount of yolk sac absorbed, the chick could possibly make it, but be prepared that the chick may not make it more than a day or two. I could not tell by the picture to say one way or the other.
Interfering too soon can have traumatic results. I have lost many chicks by interfering too soon as well as too late. It's a fine line on assisting chicks. Don't feel bad. Some die at hatch for many different reasons. The humidity is too high, the chick drowns, the air sack is too small, the chick can't breathe long enough to pip, the chick is too big and can't absorb the yoke sack, the chick punctured a blood vessel etc..
However, I believe the experience of assisting allows us to learn what to do and what not to do next time. We can only go with our instincts when it comes to struggling chicks. Along with my losses, I have saved many chicks as well paying close attention to the following tips. It gets easier with each hatch deciding if to assist or not. It's a personal decision that every person has to make on their own.
Tips when considering assistance:
1. Did you increase your humidity slightly two or three days before due? Humidity that's too low or too high can cause issues at hatch.
2. If you are able to candle the egg at this point you can see if the chick is still moving in the shell. If you can't candle the eggs then tap the widest end and listen for peeps. If pipped and no progress and your concerned, move to the next step.
3. Assist the hatching process by following the same pattern where the chick pipped carefully removing the shell around the egg enough to allow you to poke through the outer membrane to create breathing space and view the chick. Some people use tweezers to do this. I find my fingers and fingernails are more precise. You do not have to remove even half of the shell, just enough to find the breathing space. IMPORTANT: If you can see a live chick, but the inner membrane is still surrounding the chick's body, all but it's face and the inner membrane has blood vessels showing (they will be rounded vessels full of blood throughout the inner membrane) or you see blood....stop.
4. If the inner membrane still has full blood vessels, if assisted further at this point the yolk sac will not be fully absorbed, if at all, and the chick will most likely die. Hence, please wait until the blood vessels have collapsed and are no longer evident before continuing with any further assistance.
5. If the chick is still covered by the inner membrane, but you *or the chick) have opened the egg significantly take a moistened paper towel and blot the inner membrane to dampen it, be careful not to get to close to where the chick needs to breathe and put the egg back in the incubator. Check on it every few hours. IMPORTANT: watch for shrink wrapping, which means the inner membrane dried out over the chick and this makes it almost impossible for the chick to hatch out itself. At this point, if I still see full blood vessels, I would moisten again, and put the egg back for another hour or two.
6. Once the blood vessels in the inner membrane have completely collapsed and the inner membrane can be easily pulled off the chick, It is safe at this point to hatch the head and wings portion. I always try to ensure the chick has fully absorbed the yolk sac before removing the chick completely from lower half of the shell. It's a bit difficult to see, but if the head and wings are hatched, it's easier to look down toward the belly to view if there's any evidence of yolk sac. If any yolk sac is present, place the chick, with the bottom half of the shell still attached back in the incubator. It most likely will complete the hatch on it's own after fully absorbing the yolk sac. If you feel compelled and sure the yolk sac is fully absorbed, it is okay to completely hatch the chick.
I have only ever assisted chicks and guinea keets. I strongly believe that experience will teach you more than anyone can tell you. It's very sad when a chick, keets, duckling, gosling or what have you dies at hatch, but it happens. The most important thing to watch out for is those blood vessels can easily get punctured during any type of assistance and bleed (and I mean drops of blood) so please be careful. If you accidently puncture a vessel, take a damp tissue and gently press on the bleed. It will stop. A little bit of blood at hatch is normal. Dripping blood is not. Always moisten the inner membrane and the area with the bleed and place the egg back for another hour and check again.
I hope this helps you out.
Take care,
- Thread starter
- #3
Thank you danaschicks! Helped alot, the mother is a brudie chicken who was sitting on 20 eggs that belonged to another type of bird as well as normal chicken eggs.. After a long time of sitting on them us thinking that they wouldn't hatch as there is no male bird of that breed.. And we hatched 1 over a drain thinking it was rotten but a fully developed weak bird came out.. That's why we cracked this one, as the shells of their breed are so thick that most die. But got 1 little chick Un expectantly and it's doing well so I'm just great full of this one. And ill leave the remaining eggs, and I've taken in your advice 
x
x
- Jul 15, 2012
- 45
- 1
- 36
did it survive?
Hi Laurengeeves,
I am glad to help. It's so difficult to know what to do, but sounds like you have done everything you could to help this lil' one make it.
Please keep us posted on how the lil' chick is doing. Post pictures
I am glad to help. It's so difficult to know what to do, but sounds like you have done everything you could to help this lil' one make it.
Please keep us posted on how the lil' chick is doing. Post pictures
- Thread starter
- #6
The chick died :/ it was too underdeveloped I guess.. Thank you for all your help tho guys
Oh, so sorry to hear that. I know you did everything you could to help it.
- Thread starter
- #8
It slowly got worse, it's okay tho like you said I need to learn from it and not regret it, thank you so much for advice
You are more than welcome. Take care
- Thread starter
- #10
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