Help!!!!

[ally.alli.ally]

This is my first experience with letting silkie mom hatch eggs (i'v never incubator either). Out of two hens, and 12 eggs, every single egg has led to a live, healthy chick.. except this very last one. For some reason, mom pushed it out of the coop and pecked it. The little chick inside is bloody. He has pecked his beak out of the other side. She looked as if she wanted to kill the little guy, so I brought him inside tonight and put him under a heat lamp (still halfway in the egg). He is moving around and he is peeping. He has lived all day, so I am hoping he will make it. I know the odds aren't in my favor

Any advice what I should do????

Thanks so much for any help. We need it!

 

[equine chick]

Make sure the baby is not shrinkwrapped, where the egg membrane is like paper. If you need moisture take warm wet papertowel to moisten it. If you think you can help it hatch without breaking any blood vessels I would try to help it by slowly peeling away the shell.

 

[Mrs. Feathers]

Congratulations on your 12 healthy hatches
Our broody pushed one of her eggs out yesterday at day 17 and had pecked the shell enough that we could see the little chick inside. Someone on BYC gave me the wise advice that mama's just seem to know.

Hopefully it will hatch fine and you can return the little guy to his peeps or maybe mama just knew that something was just not right with this little one.
Good luck.

 

[ally.alli.ally]

The baby is shrink wrapped. What does this mean? Poor thing is peeping away! I’ll moisten it a bit now. Should I try to help it hatch even though it has the membrane around it like paper?

Thanks for the good luck! I have become obsessed with this little one! I know mamma may know best, but I feel like I need to at least try and give it a fighting chance

 

[Mrs. Feathers]

If you don't have it in an incubator with humidity I would also drape the egg with warm moist paper towels as equine chick has suggested. If you are going to help the chick out I would suggest taking it into the bathroom and runnig the shower on hot to get the room nice and warm and humid. A very fine mist spray bottle can help to moisten also but you want to keep the little one warm as well and not get it too wet in the process.
Good luck and keep us updated.

 

[ally.alli.ally]

Thank you so so so much for the help, Ms. Feathers and Equine chick. You guys are lifesavers. I'll keep you updated.

 

[ally.alli.ally]

Little chick hatched at about 5 this morning (after I woke up every 20 min to wet him with a Q-tip). He was screaming, so I helped him break out (very carefully). He was very weak this morning and could barley stand. However, He is walking and looking around now! I put another baby in there with him (they are in the bathtub lined with rags, hubby is not happy) hoping that guy will show him how to eat and drink. Fingers crossed!!

 

[punkgirrl]

Oh boy do I have my fingers crossed for you! I hope the little girl/guy makes it. Best wishes your way.

 

[rancher hicks]

The new edition of Hobby Farms has an interesting article on chicken behavior.

You might like to get it and read the whole article but here's an interesting piece.

"Vocalization is important even during the brooding process. When a hen is brooding eggs, it is very desirable for the hatching of those eggs to be synchronized. says Dr. Mench. There is communication going on between the hen and the chicks (or chicks embryos at this point) that ultimately leads to the eggs' development either speeding up or slowing down so that they hatch around the same time. "

Scientists have discovered (using tiny microphones connected to the eggs and placed in the nest) that the hen hears vocal responses from the embryos to her vocalizations. These responses give her clues as to how the embryos are developing compared to each other. Based on that communication she turns the eggs at different rates - moving one that is maturing a little more quickly out to the edge of the pile to cool off and slow down, while moving one that is maturing more slowly to the cento of the nest to speed development. "


Now back to me.

I've read that you should remove the early hatching chicks to a brooder to give her time to hatch the unhatched chicks and so that she won't "break" brooding to care for the early chicks. I am to tired to type name the book right now.

There is also an article by Gail Damerow on hatching and 10 reasons why they don't.


Hope all goes well,

Rancher

 

[Mrs. Feathers]

Yeah! Congratulations...I hope the little one makes it okay.