Hatching Question

[Becks Chicks]

I have 3 newly hatched chicks in the incubator, along with 3 more pipped eggs. I also had 2 with no pips. I rate my eggs and both of them I rated “A.” I took them both out to candle. No air sack left on 1 so I carefully made a hole and the chick was fully formed and dead, sadly. These are marans eggs and the shell was especially hard on this one. I’m frustrated that I didn’t assist earlier. The other egg still had a small air sack so I made a small hole and peeled back a bit of the shell to reveal the beak. This chick has a cross beak and the lower beak is somewhat longer. At least that’s what I can see with only the beak poking out. I’m guessing that’s why it didn’t pip.

I‘m going to leave this one alone for awhile and see what it does. I made sure to put Vaseline on the membrane around its face. Is it possible being squished is making the beak cross and everything will right itself when hatched? Should I let nature take its course and provide no further interventions? And, could it still be a healthy chick just with a cross beak or is this a sign of bad genetics?

 

[JacinLarkwell]

I have 3 newly hatched chicks in the incubator, along with 3 more pipped eggs. I also had 2 with no pips. I rate my eggs and both of them I rated “A.” I took them both out to candle. No air sack left on 1 so I carefully made a hole and the chick was fully formed and dead, sadly. These are marans eggs and the shell was especially hard on this one. I’m frustrated that I didn’t assist earlier. The other egg still had a small air sack so I made a small hole and peeled back a bit of the shell to reveal the beak. This chick has a cross beak and the lower beak is somewhat longer. At least that’s what I can see with only the beak poking out. I’m guessing that’s why it didn’t pip.

I‘m going to leave this one alone for awhile and see what it does. I made sure to put Vaseline on the membrane around its face. Is it possible being squished is making the beak cross and everything will right itself when hatched? Should I let nature take its course and provide no further interventions? And, could it still be a healthy chick just with a cross beak or is this a sign of bad genetics?

Cross beaking could be genetics, or it could just be a mishap while incubating. If it's in the egg already, then it's not going to fix itself once it hatches. Chicks without scissorbeak have Normal beaks inside the egg

 

[Becks Chicks]

Thank you.

I don’t think this little one was meant to hatch. I probably shouldn’t have intervened.