I’m not Mother Nature, but..... My journey hatching broody and bator chicks

[aart]

This little one has me a bit worried. It has pipped but still seems to be encased in the inner membrane, except for his beak and nares. How long must he stay this way while enduring all the pecks from the others? Is this one that could possibly be helped a little by me?

View attachment 1645316

Maybe.
Have you read the assisting thread/article?
You may have to remove some shell and membrane, just gotta watch for bleeding veins.

So almost 12 hours later....????

 

[WVduckchick]

I would chip off the shell and outer membrane, just what is covering the air cell, and not attached to the inner membrane. Leave the inner membrane and moisten it with coconut oil or Vaseline. Check it for blood vessels. If it is clear of active blood vessels, then you can stretch it open a little further for the chick. If there are lots of vessels, just leave it alone and wait for them to disperse.

 

[Mimi13]

Maybe.
Have you read the assisting thread/article?
You may have to remove some shell and membrane, just gotta watch for bleeding veins.

So almost 12 hours later....????

I would chip off the shell and outer membrane, just what is covering the air cell, and not attached to the inner membrane. Leave the inner membrane and moisten it with coconut oil or Vaseline. Check it for blood vessels. If it is clear of active blood vessels, then you can stretch it open a little further for the chick. If there are lots of vessels, just leave it alone and wait for them to disperse.

Alrighty, here we go for an update.

I have read many, many of the threads on BYC on assisted hatching, along with the assisted hatching article. Very good information for anyone to know.

This is just an account of what I did. I am not suggesting by any means that anyone should do this. I questioned myself numerous times last night, even to the point of kicking myself.

Last night, I sincerely believed I needed to help the chick, formerly known as Egg #9, as it was one of the first ones to pip. I began by peeling back the shell and outer membrane to where I had made my last air cell mark. The little booger was still encased in the inner membrane, all but the beak, nares, and maybe the shoulder (not sure what it was other than a body part). I looked around the edges of the inner membrane and saw no blood vessels. The membrane is transparent so I slid a moistened cotton swab around underneath so I was sure and then used the swab to slide the edge back over the chick’s eye. Hello little fella! Then I set him back in the incubator.

Of course, he popped on out and this is what I saw. He wasn’t quite ready and I have probably caused his demise.

He was still really attached to the shell by a lot. Dang it! He was trying to pull around what most likely weighed more than he did and I knew I couldn’t leave him like that. At this point I figured I was all in so I might as well see it through.

I detached the entire inner membrane from the shell and now the chick just had a huge glob attached. He was free from the shell, but as he moved the heavy glob was pulling against him and making his navel appear to bulge. Nope, not good, still needed help. I first put him and his ‘entourage’ in a tiny bowl in hopes it would all dry. Nope, still too heavy and too much tissue mass to dry in any short period. As the chick moved back and forth over itself time and again the “glob” was becoming more and more twisted.

<GULP> I went to get the scissors. This glob consisted of the inner membrane that had no veins running through it, the “after hatch” material that I’ve noted was left in the shells of all the other hatched chicks, and one long vein that DID contain blood.

Holding the chick in a towel I slowly stretched out the glob so I could see everything easily. I snipped away a part of the gooey membrane, then another part of it. Now I could see the whitish, poopy looking part. Making sure the blood vein wasn’t close to where I was cutting, I snipped the whitish part off. That left me with the blood vein with a little bit of membrane. I was able to lay it out across the towel and pull the last bit of membrane off. The vessel/vein was sealed, but I was prepared to pinch and hold it if not. Just like the clamp on a newborn’s umbilical cord.

I was satisfied that I had gotten the chick out of imminent danger and placed him back in the bator where he curled up and went to sleep. All he had was a long trailing sealed vein. He was the only hatched chick in the bator, along with four eggs, one pipped. I went to bed

Here he is this morning, along with his dried up tail. Before I put him in the brooder with the other chicks I snipped it a bit, leaving about 1/2” attached.

Here is a pic of his hatch mate, Egg #11.

This picture is of 5 of the 6 that have hatched. The other one, the first one to hatch, was I believe up on top of the heat plate. At this point he was almost 24 hours old and was feeling his oats, and jumping from the rafters.

All of them are doing extremely well and have obviously imprinted me as their mom. I make a little “bok bok bok” and the oldest ones come running out from under the heat plate. I use my finger to peck at the feed and they go to town. I even peck at the marbles in the water and they drink. It’s a win win. But it was unnerving at times.

I only know, for sure, the mothers of three of the chicks. The other three are still very much unknown. As they fluff up a bit more I will take better pictures and see if y’all can help me decide. They are all beautiful baby chicks.

 

[chickengr]

I would chip off the shell and outer membrane, just what is covering the air cell, and not attached to the inner membrane. Leave the inner membrane and moisten it with coconut oil or Vaseline. Check it for blood vessels. If it is clear of active blood vessels, then you can stretch it open a little further for the chick. If there are lots of vessels, just leave it alone and wait for them to disperse.

with heat and dry air I sometimes assist even with broodies. I use q tip and warm water to moisten membrane.

 

[chickengr]

Alrighty, here we go for an update.

I have read many, many of the threads on BYC on assisted hatching, along with the assisted hatching article. Very good information for anyone to know.

This is just an account of what I did. I am not suggesting by any means that anyone should do this. I questioned myself numerous times last night, even to the point of kicking myself.

Last night, I sincerely believed I needed to help the chick, formerly known as Egg #9, as it was one of the first ones to pip. I began by peeling back the shell and outer membrane to where I had made my last air cell mark. The little booger was still encased in the inner membrane, all but the beak, nares, and maybe the shoulder (not sure what it was other than a body part). I looked around the edges of the inner membrane and saw no blood vessels. The membrane is transparent so I slid a moistened cotton swab around underneath so I was sure and then used the swab to slide the edge back over the chick’s eye. Hello little fella! Then I set him back in the incubator. View attachment 1645544

Of course, he popped on out and this is what I saw. He wasn’t quite ready and I have probably caused his demise.

View attachment 1645545

He was still really attached to the shell by a lot. Dang it! He was trying to pull around what most likely weighed more than he did and I knew I couldn’t leave him like that. At this point I figured I was all in so I might as well see it through.View attachment 1645541

I detached the entire inner membrane from the shell and now the chick just had a huge glob attached. He was free from the shell, but as he moved the heavy glob was pulling against him and making his navel appear to bulge. Nope, not good, still needed help. I first put him and his ‘entourage’ in a tiny bowl in hopes it would all dry. Nope, still too heavy and too much tissue mass to dry in any short period. As the chick moved back and forth over itself time and again the “glob” was becoming more and more twisted.

<GULP> I went to get the scissors. This glob consisted of the inner membrane that had no veins running through it, the “after hatch” material that I’ve noted was left in the shells of all the other hatched chicks, and one long vein that DID contain blood.

Holding the chick in a towel I slowly stretched out the glob so I could see everything easily. I snipped away a part of the gooey membrane, then another part of it. Now I could see the whitish, poopy looking part. Making sure the blood vein wasn’t close to where I was cutting, I snipped the whitish part off. That left me with the blood vein with a little bit of membrane. I was able to lay it out across the towel and pull the last bit of membrane off. The vessel/vein was sealed, but I was prepared to pinch and hold it if not. Just like the clamp on a newborn’s umbilical cord.

I was satisfied that I had gotten the chick out of imminent danger and placed him back in the bator where he curled up and went to sleep. All he had was a long trailing sealed vein. He was the only hatched chick in the bator, along with four eggs, one pipped. I went to bed View attachment 1645542

Here he is this morning, along with his dried up tail. Before I put him in the brooder with the other chicks I snipped it a bit, leaving about 1/2” attached.
View attachment 1645543

Here is a pic of his hatch mate, Egg #11.
View attachment 1645565

This picture is of 5 of the 6 that have hatched. The other one, the first one to hatch, was I believe up on top of the heat plate. At this point he was almost 24 hours old and was feeling his oats, and jumping from the rafters.
View attachment 1645566

All of them are doing extremely well and have obviously imprinted me as their mom. I make a little “bok bok bok” and the oldest ones come running out from under the heat plate. I use my finger to peck at the feed and they go to town. I even peck at the marbles in the water and they drink. It’s a win win. But it was unnerving at times.

I only know, for sure, the mothers of three of the chicks. The other three are still very much unknown. As they fluff up a bit more I will take better pictures and see if y’all can help me decide. They are all beautiful baby chicks.

well done. congrats! cuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuute chicks

 

[Mimi13]

And, of course, in my last post I forgot to thank y’all. I’m bad about that!

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

 

[Mimi13]

well done. congrats! cuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuute chicks

Thank you. <wiping sweat>

 

[GrannyHeeney]

How harrowing, Ms Mimi! So the artist formerly known as Egg 9 is all good--please oh please post more pics of him as he grows, I'm dying to know how he turns out, feather-wise, colors, etc. Chickens R Amazing!

 

[WVduckchick]

Alrighty, here we go for an update.

I have read many, many of the threads on BYC on assisted hatching, along with the assisted hatching article. Very good information for anyone to know.

This is just an account of what I did. I am not suggesting by any means that anyone should do this. I questioned myself numerous times last night, even to the point of kicking myself.

Last night, I sincerely believed I needed to help the chick, formerly known as Egg #9, as it was one of the first ones to pip. I began by peeling back the shell and outer membrane to where I had made my last air cell mark. The little booger was still encased in the inner membrane, all but the beak, nares, and maybe the shoulder (not sure what it was other than a body part). I looked around the edges of the inner membrane and saw no blood vessels. The membrane is transparent so I slid a moistened cotton swab around underneath so I was sure and then used the swab to slide the edge back over the chick’s eye. Hello little fella! Then I set him back in the incubator. View attachment 1645544

Of course, he popped on out and this is what I saw. He wasn’t quite ready and I have probably caused his demise.

View attachment 1645545

He was still really attached to the shell by a lot. Dang it! He was trying to pull around what most likely weighed more than he did and I knew I couldn’t leave him like that. At this point I figured I was all in so I might as well see it through.View attachment 1645541

I detached the entire inner membrane from the shell and now the chick just had a huge glob attached. He was free from the shell, but as he moved the heavy glob was pulling against him and making his navel appear to bulge. Nope, not good, still needed help. I first put him and his ‘entourage’ in a tiny bowl in hopes it would all dry. Nope, still too heavy and too much tissue mass to dry in any short period. As the chick moved back and forth over itself time and again the “glob” was becoming more and more twisted.

<GULP> I went to get the scissors. This glob consisted of the inner membrane that had no veins running through it, the “after hatch” material that I’ve noted was left in the shells of all the other hatched chicks, and one long vein that DID contain blood.

Holding the chick in a towel I slowly stretched out the glob so I could see everything easily. I snipped away a part of the gooey membrane, then another part of it. Now I could see the whitish, poopy looking part. Making sure the blood vein wasn’t close to where I was cutting, I snipped the whitish part off. That left me with the blood vein with a little bit of membrane. I was able to lay it out across the towel and pull the last bit of membrane off. The vessel/vein was sealed, but I was prepared to pinch and hold it if not. Just like the clamp on a newborn’s umbilical cord.

I was satisfied that I had gotten the chick out of imminent danger and placed him back in the bator where he curled up and went to sleep. All he had was a long trailing sealed vein. He was the only hatched chick in the bator, along with four eggs, one pipped. I went to bed View attachment 1645542

Here he is this morning, along with his dried up tail. Before I put him in the brooder with the other chicks I snipped it a bit, leaving about 1/2” attached.
View attachment 1645543

Here is a pic of his hatch mate, Egg #11.
View attachment 1645565

This picture is of 5 of the 6 that have hatched. The other one, the first one to hatch, was I believe up on top of the heat plate. At this point he was almost 24 hours old and was feeling his oats, and jumping from the rafters.
View attachment 1645566

All of them are doing extremely well and have obviously imprinted me as their mom. I make a little “bok bok bok” and the oldest ones come running out from under the heat plate. I use my finger to peck at the feed and they go to town. I even peck at the marbles in the water and they drink. It’s a win win. But it was unnerving at times.

I only know, for sure, the mothers of three of the chicks. The other three are still very much unknown. As they fluff up a bit more I will take better pictures and see if y’all can help me decide. They are all beautiful baby chicks.

Great job!!
There is so much instinct involved in helping chicks, and it looks like your instincts were spot on!!

 

[Mimi13]

Great job!!
There is so much instinct involved in helping chicks, and it looks like your instincts were spot on!!

I am a very detail oriented person, by nature, and can even be called tedious. In all my years, it has sometimes been a detriment, but it really helps in times like these!