I didn't know this was why the chicks intestines sometimes fall out.

[Germaine_11.20]

I Yahoo'd and this is what came up:

•Inufficient Rotation of the Eggs. Eggs should be rotated 5 times a day. The result of incomplete or insufficient egg rotation is that chick organs stick to the sides of the shells. Chicks are born with their intestines outside their bodies.
•Low Humidity. Eggs need a certain amount of humidity - or else it will also affect chick development. Usually parents know what to do. You will see the female bathe and then continue to sit on / incubate the eggs - thus increasing humidity as needed. The chick's parents should be provided with bathing opportunities. A shallow dish at the bottom of the cage, for example.
•Interrupted Incubation.
◦chicks can become crippled or die in the shell
•For more information on proper conditions of the eggs during incubation, please refer to the incubationprocedures.html

 

[gocrow77]

interesting - thanks for posting this!

 

[IggiMom]

Quote:
Bathe? Chickens?

Catherne

 

[chickenbottom]

i bathe my chickens and i found out clairese can float

 

[SunnyChic]

 

[IggiMom]

Well, yes, sometimes people bathe chickens, for a show for example, but I have never known one to willingly bathe itself.

The Yahoo quote, although helpful, was referring to cage birds. I followed the link.

That is not to say that humidity is not important, and it was interesting about the intestines sticking to the shell. I do turn my chicks, generally by hand, and I have never had one hatch with its intestines outside. Interesting.

I do not mean to be critical, as I am by no means a great hatcher.

Yet.

Catherine

 

[walkswithdog]

I've seen broodies get into SERIOUSLY damp earth and do the dust bath thing, and come up damp and covered in earth and then head back to a nest, so sure that makes sense.

And the reason to turn eggs has always been to keep the chick from sticking to the sides of the egg.

When I had to rescue eggs that hadn't been turned properly you could tell they were all seriously too near the sides when you candled. I turned those suckers six time a day after pulling them in the house and 6 out of ten did manage to live. Three needing help because they were still partially attached to the side.

Though sometimes it just happens, it does happen more if your humidity runs down in the 20-30 range. If they've been unturned or rarely turned.

But looking for answers to why, when everything was done well, leads back to nature itself. Some are just going to be born wrong.

Despite rescuing a number of disaster clutches, the only chick every born with it's intestines actually out - went through a perfectly normal incubation process.

It does just happen.