I am so sad...babies died...why?

[BigDaddy'sGurl]

Okay here goes: I bought hatching eggs, Buff Orpingtons, from a guy. I set them in my incubator 13 days ago. Apparently he forgot to mention that he does not gather them daily because here on day 13 two chicks hatched. The first one seemed just fine but when I checked it in the brooder after returning from work, my husband had dozed off and the chick was on its back and had passed away. The second chick was also doing well and I checked it constantly. I noticed it laid on its chest to take a nap and was quiet for some time. I double checked it and it was dead too. Upon close inspection of the brooder box I found a wasp nearly dead under the cloth I had put down for the chicks to walk on. Could the wasp have stung and killed my babies? I still have around 68 eggs or so in my incubator, but with none due to hatch (that I know of because now thanks to the seller's misinformation, or i should say lack of information, I have no clue how developed the remaining eggs I bought from him are and there are still 18 from his batch) for another week or so I was really excited about the surprise deliveries. They were gorgeous fully formed babies and I am so sad...

 

[nuts4chickens]

I am sure you already checked, but what is the temp in your brooder? Were the chicks too close to a heat source, and maybe became overheated? I only ask, because some of the red heat bulbs you can buy at the feed store are 250w and they will cook a baby in a nano second if they are in a small enclosure. Just an idea? Sorry bout your chicks! I hate that!

 

[crtrlovr]

so sorry about your babies...

 

[Arcane Araucana]

that is so sad. I don't know about wasps but now at least its out of there. Let us know how the rest of the hatch goes. Good luck!!!!

 

[BigDaddy'sGurl]

I am really angry now. Had another one hatch early yesterday. What was supposed to be day 15. Fully formed and seemed like all was going well but within 12 hours it died in the brooder. Never gained its feet. I really think that this seller didn't gather his eggs except for maybe once a week and so the hens had sat them for a while and so I got 2 dozen staggered hatch eggs that I was not prepared for. I know it's not my incubator temp because I have quite a few eggs I put in the bator the day before these and they are all developing normally with no pips and good movement. Why would someone advertise eggs for sell if they were going to allow the hens to sit on the eggs before they sold and not inform the buyer? I will never buy from him again. I really think that when I contacted him in regards to his ad about eggs for sell, that he gathered them then and left them to cool for the 2-3 days before we actually met for me to buy them. They didn't cool enough to die then, but it was enough to damage their development. That's the only explaination I have for this as all has been well with hatches before and all is well with all the other breeds of eggs that I got elsewhere within a 48 hour period of these Buff orpington eggs. I am angry. I don't like watching these early chicks die. This is a total letdown. I'm starting to think it was not the wasp after all because this last one to die there was no wasp or other insect present and the brooder temp was optimal.

 

[Chicken Chat]

I'm so sorry about your babies.... I would be angry too! If this gentleman you bought the eggs from was uneducated about proper egg gathering for incubation, then there is no telling how lax he is about breeding practices or caring for his chickens. They may not have the best genetic qualities or vitamin deficiencies to result in strong healthy chicks. I have my fingers crossed for you to at least get a few healthy chicks from this experience.

 

[BigDaddy'sGurl]

Thanks everyone for your kindness during this time. What's sad about this seller, and no its not someone from BYC, is that he actually owns a farm and performs various services associated therein throughout the area I live in and he came referred by people i know in the chicken business. I will be dropping him an email shortly asking what happened here and letting him know that the eggs are being sold with prior development...I don't care about the money at all. I only paid 2.00 a dozen for the eggs but I am a softie and hate watching new life suffer and die. It's pitiful to see a tiny chick struggle to breathe and be weak and then just die regardless of your efforts. This didn't have to happen.

 

[BigDaddy'sGurl]

To anyone who remembers this thread, I wanted to update. I ended up having the remaining live BO's hatch on the evening and morning of days 17/18. I ended up getting 7 out of 24 eggs to make healthy babies. This is far below my usual hatch rate and I am rather disappointed. I also had several eggs I had put in a day before these were and they hatched a day after. That was a 100% hatch rate for the number of eggs I had put in from my own chickens so I know it was not my actions or my incubator. All I can say is really question your egg seller before you buy or you may be in for heartbreak. The live BOs are absolutely precious. The color of golden wheat and really lively. But I can't help but to look at the 7 and think of the 24 it could be...

 

[nanawendy]

Please post pics when you get a chance. Did you ever contact the seller about you early hatch?