Help: What to do when my chick doesn't finish hatching

[animalsarelife1234]

Hi, I have 4 goose eggs and one of them began hatching yesterday morning. The hole was about the size of a penny and there was movement and peeping, but then this morning when I went to go check on them, there was no movement or peeping. Is he dead? And will the other eggs begin to hatch soon? I'm anxious.

 

[kandyg_99]

How Is The Baby Progressing Today ?

 

[danceswithronin]

I've read in several places that if chicks don't make it out of the egg, the best thing to do is to leave them to their own devices whether they live or die because most chicks that are too weak to get out of the egg aren't going to thrive and are prone to all sorts of problems. Poultry that is weak getting out of the egg will throw chicks that have the same problem, so I know in breeding operations they don't try to "rescue" babies that don't make it out of the shell because it weakens the entire line to do it and results in less vigorous hatchings and more dead/weak chicks.

That being said, if I knew a baby was alive at one point trying to get out of an egg, I'd be hard pressed not to go in and try to save the little guy whether he/she was a "runt" or not.

 

[kwhites634]

I've read in several places that if chicks don't make it out of the egg, the best thing to do is to leave them to their own devices whether they live or die because most chicks that are too weak to get out of the egg aren't going to thrive and are prone to all sorts of problems. Poultry that is weak getting out of the egg will throw chicks that have the same problem, so I know in breeding operations they don't try to "rescue" babies that don't make it out of the shell because it weakens the entire line to do it and results in less vigorous hatchings and more dead/weak chicks.

That being said, if I knew a baby was alive at one point trying to get out of an egg, I'd be hard pressed not to go in and try to save the little guy whether he/she was a "runt" or not.

I was with you right up to the end. I still wouldn't assist, for the exact reasons you stated.

 

[Rose Quartz]

Hi, I have 4 goose eggs and one of them began hatching yesterday morning. The hole was about the size of a penny and there was movement and peeping, but then this morning when I went to go check on them, there was no movement or peeping. Is he dead? And will the other eggs begin to hatch soon? I'm anxious.

I've never hatched goose eggs, I don't know the time frame they have for getting out of the shell. are you able to see inside the pip hole?

 

[danceswithronin]

I was with you right up to the end. I still wouldn't assist, for the exact reasons you stated.

I wouldn't assist either, I would just feel bad about it. Kind of how I feel about culling too. I don't like it, but for animal husbandry reasons I 100% see the reason behind it and don't have a problem doing it when culling is called for. Meanwhile when I bring up potentially culling excess roosters to my mother (rather than going through the hassle of trying to rehome them) she can't believe I would consider killing and eating animals I'd raised since they were a day old. But it's part of the process of raising chickens in my opinion, especially if you live in a suburb where roosters are not allowed.