Hands on hatching and help

[chantels1]

We are not out of the woods. I am on the, "I shouldn't help chicks hatch" train today. Chick has laid limp in the Bator for 7 hours, occasionally spasming. It cant hold its head up. I and one lef/foit is not working right. We held it up and gave it a few drops of sugar water for now. It is opening it's eyes a bit more, and moving a tad bit. I don't have much hope for it.

 

[AmyLynn2374]

What do they look like? I'm assuming it looks like a piece of wire with a plastic piece attached. Yes/no? I have a Harris farms air circulating incubator.

Sorry, just saw your Harris Farms comment. Do you have to model #?

The wire you are seeing is probably the temperature sensor. The humidity sensor probably looks like a small rectangular box, maybe an inch by 2 inches, or smaller, with a grid covering it.

That was my assumption too.

I removed the towel when I placed it back in the incubator. The aircell is intact from what I could see when I candled it 30 minutes ago. Drawdown was behind the chick. I'll get a pic of the position for you.

I had one that did that. It was in the correct hatching position, but facing the wrong side of the egg so the air cell was drawn down behind it instead of in front of it. I did end up assisting and it turned out fine.

Glad you turned it up. I've lost more than one that piped on the bottom and I didn't catch it in time .

I lost a pipper for the very first time in the guinea hatch I did and I swear it was because it got flopped over pip down and I wasn't here to correct it. I always turn my pippers back up and have never lost a chick after pipping. I was so disappointed. It could have been coincidence, but I don't think so.
Also, I use the medicated starter as well. I buy one bag and when it's gone I switch over to the regular chick starter, and I use sav a chick in the water the first 2-3 days as well.

We are not out of the woods. I am on the, "I shouldn't help chicks hatch" train today. Chick has laid limp in the Bator for 7 hours, occasionally spasming. It cant hold its head up. I and one lef/foit is not working right. We held it up and gave it a few drops of sugar water for now. It is opening it's eyes a bit more, and moving a tad bit. I don't have much hope for it.

I always tell new hatchers that the first hurdle you have to cross, especially if you are going to be hands on, is you have to be able to accept an outcome no matter what it is because second guessing yourself will drive you crazy. If you don't help a chick and it dies you can drive yourself crazy wondering if you helped it would it have made it and vice versa. My personal philosophy is I would rather help a chick out and give it a chance rather than not do anything and have it die anyway. I have a very high success rate in my assists, so I am comfortable with taking that step. It sounds as though you did a wonderful job assisting. By what you stated, you did it right and in the right time frame. I will also add that if the head was between the legs, chances are it wouldn't have progressed further because positioning wouldn't have been conducive to being able to turn. I have had a couple chicks that I found in that position at time of eggtopsy, and it was explainable as to why they were DIS. Some people do have the attitude it's better to let them die in the shell, I'm of the thought process, you are giving it every chance to survive. Sometimes they bounce back will no ill effects, sometimes they are just too weak to make it. Don't be hard on yourself. It's never easy to loose one or even worse have to cull one, but it is all part of the normal practice of hatching. You did great, remember that!

 

[WVduckchick]

We are not out of the woods. I am on the, "I shouldn't help chicks hatch" train today. Chick has laid limp in the Bator for 7 hours, occasionally spasming. It cant hold its head up. I and one lef/foit is not working right. We held it up and gave it a few drops of sugar water for now. It is opening it's eyes a bit more, and moving a tad bit. I don't have much hope for it.

Many times, this is the reason why they don't get into the position they are supposed to be in. Sometimes its just luck that they aren't turned right, and they do fine with assistance. Sometimes it seems that it just wasn't meant to be. So you can only do what your heart tells you to do. Either accept that you may help some that might have issues, or decide to let Mother Nature determine their fate. No one will fault you either way! It really comes down to the personal struggle.

I will hold out hope for you that he thrives with a little more time.

 

[dcba flock]

I was pretty certain I was going to have to cull the last 2 both have icky belly buttons one was in a 1/2 shell I had covered the membrane w/ neosporin worked great it still have some obvious blood vessels. It popped out a bit ago I put neosporin on its funky belly button and again on the other one and dabbed on some corn starch seems to helping they are tired but pepping and moving a little more. I don't want to assist but I monitor them as closely as possible throughout incubation all my eggs are shipped and often have crazy air cells it's not fair for an otherwise healthy baby suffer because of human error aka shipping.... So if I can and if works to help when necessary I will I have overall had pretty good success in the past keeping my fingers crossed for these 2 might need to keep them seperate for a couple days so the others don't peck them. They can stay in the bator at least until later tonight

Thanks for offering a place for help and support!!!

 

[AmyLynn2374]

I was pretty certain I was going to have to cull the last 2 both have icky belly buttons one was in a 1/2 shell I had covered the membrane w/ neosporin worked great it still have some obvious blood vessels. It popped out a bit ago I put neosporin on its funky belly button and again on the other one and dabbed on some corn starch seems to helping they are tired but pepping and moving a little more. I don't want to assist but I monitor them as closely as possible throughout incubation all my eggs are shipped and often have crazy air cells it's not fair for an otherwise healthy baby suffer because of human error aka shipping.... So if I can and if works to help when necessary I will I have overall had pretty good success in the past keeping my fingers crossed for these 2 might need to keep them seperate for a couple days so the others don't peck them. They can stay in the bator at least until later tonight

Thanks for offering a place for help and support!!!

. Hope they do well!

 

[chantels1]

quote name="chantels1" url="/t/1081034/hands-on-hatching-and-help/7830#post_17687507"]I did it! The chick had its head between its legs, but hot it's head under a wing and was able to external pip. I took it slow, and we are out of the egg. No mess, the yolk absorbed!

[/quo

It's so hard congrats glad it's out I lucked out this hatch even w/ not the best air cells I only had one misplaced pip... In the middle under the air cell like yours I took off some shell last night to make sure it could breathe before I went to bed. This morning it was stuck one leg was out it was struggling so I pulled it out and was able to get it unstuck yolk sac absorbed a little blood but it is back in the bator now hoping it makes it. It would never of been able to zip the way it was positioned had been pipped since yesterday morning w/o any progress

Good luck! Ours is making huge improvements and although sleeping a lot, it is no longer trembling, and it's legs are getting better. It can lift it's head for short periods, and opens its eyes more. I have it in the brooder inside it's own plastic tub. It's doing much better and I now believe it will live!

 

[chantels1]

Many times, this is the reason why they don't get into the position they are supposed to be in.  Sometimes its just luck that they aren't turned right, and they do fine with assistance.  Sometimes it seems that it just wasn't meant to be.  So you can only do what your heart tells you to do.  Either accept that you may help some that might have issues, or decide to let Mother Nature determine their fate.  No one will fault you either way!  It really comes down to the personal struggle. 

I will hold out hope for you that he thrives with a little more time. 

you were right. Time & TLC were what this baby needed. I am impressed!

 

[dcba flock]

G

you were right. Time & TLC were what this baby needed. I am impressed!

Glad your baby is doing better both of mine perked up this afternoon I reapplied the neosporin and corn starch to their belly buttons and put them in its chicken tv 24/7 here these days so we will just keep an eye on them they are all doing the chick pile under the heater the earlier ones r up eating, drinking and running around

 

[chantels1]

G
Glad your baby is doing better both of mine perked up this afternoon I reapplied the neosporin and corn starch to their belly buttons and put them in its chicken tv 24/7 here these days so we will just keep an eye on them they are all doing the chick pile under the heater the earlier ones r up eating, drinking and running around

Yay for improvements.

I have to laugh, every time we put new chicks in the brooder, the ones who hatched earlier run up and bowl over them. It must be a chick right of passage!

 

[AmyLynn2374]

Good luck! Ours is making huge improvements and although sleeping a lot, it is no longer trembling, and it's legs are getting better. It can lift it's head for short periods, and opens its eyes more. I have it in the brooder inside it's own plastic tub. It's doing much better and I now believe it will live!

That's great news!