Found eggs under shed need help!

[Violanna]

I have had chicks hatch after zipping at odd angles. Sometimes they hatched during the night, and I just found oddly-zipped empty shells in the morning along with happy chicks.

If the chick is actually zipping, I would leave it alone, no matter what direction it is going.
If it zips partway and then stops, it might be time to start thinking about assisting.

(For the malpositioned one that you helped, I would have said the same thing: leave it alone if it is actively zipping, only consider helping if it seems to have stopped for a while.)

Yes I did wait, it pecked the initial pip spot for 6 hours before it turned at all but it only made it 1 inch. It was like that another 8 hours before I noticed the foot behind the head and did a minor assist.

I haven’t assisted this one yet, but I did have to check on it, there was a bit of blood dripping the last time I checked on it, so I wrapped it in a warm damn towel and dabbed the blood to make sure it wasn’t actively bleeding. Luckily looks like it nicked a vein and immediately stopped bleeding. Man I did not expect incubation to have so many little scares! But since I didn’t have these from start to finish I expected some issues to arise.

 

[littledog]

Can you tell us what happened? Did it hatch?

 

[Violanna]

Can you tell us what happened? Did it hatch?

Omg I didn’t realize I hadn’t updated this post because I have others going now!!

All 3 eggs hatched! 2 girls and a boy. 2 are what I’m calling red orpingtons a mix of BO and RIR, the 3rd I’m calling Rhode Island white, mix of Cali white and RIR but she looks pure CW.

Sadly that one has a leg deformity and I’ve spent the past 5 days trying to help her. She is doing pretty well but will never have use of that one leg.

As for the chicks momma Nugget was laying on, so far my in laws have seen her wandering around with 6 chicks. There were 12 total we found out once we saw her off the nest with the first 3. But they are not all her eggs plus it’s over 100 daily here so they are staggered in hatching. I’m going this weekend to pull the rest of the eggs out and check on them. We were worried that the other chickens would bully them and we would have to take Nugget’s chicks away and add them to my brooder. However it looks like she is the perfect mom and very protective. Plus she has plenty of places to take them for safety!

 

[NatJ]

All 3 eggs hatched! 2 girls and a boy. 2 are what I’m calling red orpingtons a mix of BO and RIR, the 3rd I’m calling Rhode Island white, mix of Cali white and RIR but she looks pure CW.

I certainly see why you are calling the chicks that, considering what mixes they are.

But be a little careful to avoid confusion-- Red Orpingtons do exist, and so do Rhode Island Whites. Your mixes are not the same as the pure breeds that have those names.

(I was not confused here, just concerned if you get in the habit of using those terms without the explanation.)

 

[Violanna]

I certainly see why you are calling the chicks that, considering what mixes they are.

But be a little careful to avoid confusion-- Red Orpingtons do exist, and so do Rhode Island Whites. Your mixes are not the same as the pure breeds that have those names.

(I was not confused here, just concerned if you get in the habit of using those terms without the explanation.)

So actually Red Orpington IS correct as that is how the breed was originally created. Plus my two chicks are more red than buff, we shall see how red as their feathers come in. But yes I’m aware Rhode Island White is not correct at all haha! I will always call them mixes. But technically that is how every single breed we have today was created.

 

[NatJ]

So actually Red Orpington IS correct as that is how the breed was originally created. Plus my two chicks are more red than buff, we shall see how red as their feathers come in. But yes I’m aware Rhode Island White is not correct at all haha! I will always call them mixes. But technically that is how every single breed we have today was created.

Yes, that is how breeds were created. But it takes multiple generations of selective breeding after the first cross, before they can really be considered a breed. Breeds are expected to produce the same kind of offspring reliably, which first generation crosses will not do.

If you were to breed your two "red orpingtons," you would get some red chicks, some buff chicks, some chicks with white feet (correct for orpingtons), some with yellow feet (wrong) and so forth. So they are not really Red Orpingtons yet, even if they look like them.

 

[littledog]

Sadly that one has a leg deformity and I’ve spent the past 5 days trying to help her. She is doing pretty well but will never have use of that one leg.

It might be possible, since she is still so young, to maybe put a splint on that leg and help straighten it enough so she can get around on it?
Just an idea, since it can often work with "swimmer" puppies and foals born with contracted tendons.
I'm far from expert though, but maybe there are more experienced chicken keepers here who can tell you how to do it.