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- #21
Bad news
So I was keeping an eye on the chick for several hours after the incident. It seemed to be okay, no more bleeding, I could see it breathing, but other than that it was relatively still and quiet. The membrane was staying moist and soft with the damp paper towel partially covering it and I figured that I'd just leave the chick alone and let it come out when it was ready, being that the outer membrane and shell were mostly removed and it should have been easy for it to kick its way out. Around 3 AM I heard very soft chirping coming from the chick. I checked it several times to see if it was struggling, but didn't see anything to be concerned about. The membrane was soft and moist still, the chick was breathing normally, so I didn't want to rush things again and put it back in the incubator with the paper towel. I heard occasionally cheeping but nothing significant, no rocking around or loud distressed calls, so I figured just let it work its way out. An hour later I heard rustling in the incubator. I was sure the chick had finally decided to come out of its shell, but when I looked it was another chick that had hatched and was hopping around. I checked the egg and found that the chick had died. I'm not sure what happened. The beak was sticking out of the shell, but other than that it had stayed the same. The membrane was still moist and easy to pull off, so I'm not sure why it didn't just kick the rest of its way out if it was ready, and if not why it would have expired in such a short time with a stable temp and humidity level. These little guys are so fragile that sometimes it's impossible to know why exactly they die, one minute they're cheeping and about to hatch, an hour later they're dead. It is a comfort, though, to have a healthy newborn chick, and a relief to know that the incubator is working again and hopefully the rest of the eggs will hatch soon just as easily as this one did.
So I was keeping an eye on the chick for several hours after the incident. It seemed to be okay, no more bleeding, I could see it breathing, but other than that it was relatively still and quiet. The membrane was staying moist and soft with the damp paper towel partially covering it and I figured that I'd just leave the chick alone and let it come out when it was ready, being that the outer membrane and shell were mostly removed and it should have been easy for it to kick its way out. Around 3 AM I heard very soft chirping coming from the chick. I checked it several times to see if it was struggling, but didn't see anything to be concerned about. The membrane was soft and moist still, the chick was breathing normally, so I didn't want to rush things again and put it back in the incubator with the paper towel. I heard occasionally cheeping but nothing significant, no rocking around or loud distressed calls, so I figured just let it work its way out. An hour later I heard rustling in the incubator. I was sure the chick had finally decided to come out of its shell, but when I looked it was another chick that had hatched and was hopping around. I checked the egg and found that the chick had died. I'm not sure what happened. The beak was sticking out of the shell, but other than that it had stayed the same. The membrane was still moist and easy to pull off, so I'm not sure why it didn't just kick the rest of its way out if it was ready, and if not why it would have expired in such a short time with a stable temp and humidity level. These little guys are so fragile that sometimes it's impossible to know why exactly they die, one minute they're cheeping and about to hatch, an hour later they're dead. It is a comfort, though, to have a healthy newborn chick, and a relief to know that the incubator is working again and hopefully the rest of the eggs will hatch soon just as easily as this one did.
At least one of them hatched. Babies are so fragile...
Once they have another bird in their life, they seem to forget all about you and start getting skittish.
