Help!! Were we not supposed to do this?!?!

[ADozenGirlz]

Quote:
Well, I have hatched eggs myself and have needed to help on occasion. Just like with human births, things don't always proceed along the "normal" course, but that does not mean that the baby should not be helped out in an emergency in either case. It's not true that you're "not supposed to help" but certainly in this instance there was no indication that help was at all necessary.

Sorry... I was just posting on what I've heard on here... I'm no expert.

No problem. I was just trying to make the kid feel a little bit better about what he got volunteered to do b/c he sounds pretty remorseful AND I thought he should know why helping in this case was unnecessary. But sometimes it is helpful.

 

[LarryPQ]

It is usually best to let them hatch or die on their own. I have helped hatch, but only in dire situations.

Since the mistake is already made, oh well. Moving on.

Just leave the little baby alone in the incubator. DONT TOUCH!!!

It will get stronger and get up, or it will die.

Learning happened, experinced gained.

 

[ChooksChick]

I don't want to come down on you because you're young, and what's done is done. Many of us make that mistake.

I *do* want to encourage your excitement about this and let you know what not to do from this point forward:

Don't ever help a chick out of the bottom of the shell, even if it hatched and the top of the shell is off- even if it looks like it's struggling.

They are attached by an umbilicus and if it's disturbed or gets torn, the yolk that it absorbs during the hatch (into its tummy) can be leaked out, followed by the chick's guts. Let it break off, even if it's dragging the shell around the incubator.

Don't ever leave any open water of even a centimeter in the incubator- they can flop in and drown. There will be lots of flopping as they exit the shells.

Just sit and watch. It's amazing. It can take 24+ hours after you see the pip (tiny hole) in the shell before any real hatching begins, and that's normal. Unfortunately some do die trying to hatch, but those usually have internal abnormalities and would die within a few days anyway.

Also, it's not uncommon for some to die in the first few days, even with a perfect unassisted hatch. We can't always see what causes it, but some just aren't right!

Best of luck, and enjoy the hatch!

 

[ChooksChick]

And by the way:

I hope your future posts are great news and that we see you more!

 

[JoAnn_WI_4-H_Mom]

Don't beat yourselves up too much. Sometimes the results of a mistake are completely out of proportion.

I imagine you all love Wilbur the more for helping him from the shell. Sorry if he ends up being lost, but that is the way things go sometimes with life. Be nice to each other, you didn't do anything more "wrong" than the rest of your class and teacher, just because you were the one actually pulling on the shell.

Just learn from the mistake and make new and more interesting mistakes next time. Life is Learning, and it sometimes hurts.

 

[trinacliff]

Good for you for taking the initiative of getting on a discussion board like this and asking questions. Your teacher SHOULD HAVE done a little research ahead of time so that he/she knew that it was the wrong thing to do when your classmates asked about helping it hatch. Of course, the students didn't know any better, but my thought is if the teacher is going to allow you guys to incubate and hatch eggs in your classroom, he/she should take the time to do the research to try to make it successful. Like the others said, what's done is done...and take their advice on the others. Leave the incubator closed and don't let anyone interfere. Even if the bottom of she shell is still attached and the chick is dragging it around, just leave it...it will detach. If there was ALOT of blood, I'm wondering if that little chick won't make it. There's nothing you can do now, so leave it in the incubator and see what happens.

Good luck with the rest of the hatch, and at least this was a learning experience for all of you guys...hope you have lots of little chicks in the end.

Kristen

 

[rancher hicks]

Quote:
Well, I have hatched eggs myself and have needed to help on occasion. Just like with human births, things don't always proceed along the "normal" course, but that does not mean that the baby should not be helped out in an emergency in either case. It's not true that you're "not supposed to help" but certainly in this instance there was no indication that help was at all necessary.

Certainly there will always be "those" people who will disagree, but the rule of thumb is not to help. From all the postings I've read things usually don't turn out well. But then I'm sure the Martha Stewarts of the world would disagree.

"Sarcasm, just one more service I offer".

 

[Kool Aid Queen]

dear young chicken fan i want to thank you ... you asked a very good ??
and now i know what not to do as we are about to start the 21 day adventrue or batoring our own chicks
i hope your lil one does ok would love to see pics of it

if you learn any more things from these lil ones plz pass on the info
we newbies need all the help we can get

good luck with your babbies

 

[drumstick diva]

Maybe the teacher said to go along with it so the kids could see one born before class was dismissed. Probably she was excited to see it happen also. Unless they had alot of chicks it wasn't likely one would hatch while they were standing around to watch. You can't hurry nature. I think they learned an important lesson - hope the chick will be okay.

 

[cj1972]

Certainly there will always be "those" people who will disagree, but the rule of thumb is not to help. From all the postings I've read things usually don't turn out well. But then I'm sure the Martha Stewarts of the world would disagree.



I am not a Martha Stewart, but I believe every animal deserves a chance, even if it is "only" a chicken. I have assisted several hatches when the chick could not get out on it's own and thankfully those chicks are doing well.

The wonderful thing about this world we live in is that we are all free to have our own opinions and express them.