Help!!!!first Time Hatcher, I Made A Big Mistake!!!

[Tanichca]

oh, thanks. that makes me feel a bit better. it was the former of the two choices. very sad. oh well, maybe the others are still good. 4 ameraucana eggs, and 2 silkie eggs left (this one was an ameraucana) I guess i should not touch the other eggs, huh? i hate being a noob.....

 

[ranchhand]

Quote:
I agree, if there's blood it's too early, so I also candle rather than open a shell. But I have only been hatching in an incubator since Jan. 2009 and don't really have that much experience. Easter will be 18 years of having chickens though.

I have helped a few chicks out of the shell when I had humidity problems. And that was in an incubator, which is very different from letting a broody hatch the eggs. My understanding is that broody hens sense if the egg is good or not? Anyone know if that's true?

Sorry the chick didn't make it.

 

[Katy]

Is her nest where other hens could have been laying eggs in the nest after she started setting? If it is you could have eggs at all stages of development.

 

[adoptedbyachicken]

Always with natural incubation I leave them totally alone. I never help, if they don't get out of the shell there is a reason, and that reason is usually that they are just not strong enough. If they don't have that strength they don't do well after hatching either. The problem goes back to what is put into the egg by the parent stock, if the nutrition or health of those individuals is not prime the chick will be weak and do poorly. With natural incubation unless your broody is not dedicated to the plan you have no incubation issues.

With incubator incubation I learned quickly that it's also best to leave them alone. It's really hard to do but again the issue is far more likely to be that the chick is inherently weak. If you had big incubation condition fluxes your better off to resolve those than to try and work it out with this particular chick. It can be heartbreaking either way, I meticulously tracked chicks from a few of my early hatches that I had humidity issues on and had to help out. They run really high on joint deformities and foot problems and in the heavier breeds most often die young. True with some of heavies that is an issue, but these died even before they matured, far before I would expect for the breed problem. That and the joint and foot issues seen have convinced me that I just need to be better at hatching conditions and it has paid off for me.

Sorry for your lost chick but yes, just always leave them alone. Figure out the problem and correct it for the next hatch.

 

[DuckLady]

Quote:
I agree. Blood = STOP.

 

[Tanichca]

man, i feel stupid now.

 

[Katy]

Quote:
No reason to feel stupid....we were all new to hatching at some point in time....it was just way longer ago for some of us.

Even after many years of hatching it is still hard to sit back and let them hatch without interferring with them when you see them struggling.

 

[kelseygirl707]

Don't feel stupid, like Katy said, we've all been new to hatching at some point, I don't think it's even been 2 years or me yet! And I too had to learn the hard way not to help, because when I did, the chick ended up having a severe leg deformity, and DH had to cull it. Now hubby won't let me even think o helping, but it is hard sometimes to sit back and watch and worry.

 

[DuckLady]

Absolutely do not feel bad!

Probably we all of us have experienced this.

It is so hard to see a struggling chick without wanting to help. It means you care.

 

[Terri O]

Quote:
No reason to feel stupid....we were all new to hatching at some point in time....it was just way longer ago for some of us.

Even after many years of hatching it is still hard to sit back and let them hatch without interferring with them when you see them struggling.

Well---isnt that statement the truth! Helping during hatching usually does not help the chick in the end. TErri O