I'm afraid I must ask...

[SourRoses]

The question we all keep asking each other!

4 of my 7 Silkie eggs made it to lockdown

.... And on the evening of the 9th, I was blessed with 3 adorable little chicks all within a few hours of eachother. The next morning I removed my crazy active little fuzzy butts to the brooder... fast as I could and took the opportunty to add a lttle more water to the bator and set the lone egg back in the middle after being rolled around all over the place. I read someone here say it's not really such a bad thing when that happens, and might stimulate them to hatch, so I wasn't too worried about it. Well, ever since I took my fluffy butts out almost 2 days ago (and they're no longer having noisy parties in there

) I've been hearing the unmistakable tap-taping from the lone egg. But it hasn't pipped yet. I go over there and do my hen cluck clucking at the baby and it chirps at me, then tap-tap-tap... but after 2 full days, no progress. This egg is a little bigger than the others, so I was wondering if that is the reason it is taking so long?
To make matters not so enjoyable now, some darn

ANTS have foung their way into the bator through the holes... nevermind that its in my bedroom and no ants before ths. They are all going after the little bits of eggshell that dropped through to the water resevoir ( some parts filled, others dry) ... and every now and then 1 or 2 will crawl across my egg

Get OFF!!

I keep smushing them when I catch them outside the bator but it just seems to attract more.. and can't spray anythng because my brooder and my puppy are in this room with me. Oops sorry, kinda ranted about that..
Then theres baby chick poo all over the bator and I want to clean it up!
The worst part is.... I put my thermometer on top of the eggs as was advised here... and unsurprisingly, the first hatch knocked it off onto the floor... now with one egg theres nothing to rest it on... so I can only read the floor temperature.. and Im scared its either getting too hot or cold for my baby in there.
I just want my baby to come out already so I can save it from the bator of ewwww!
I keep telling myself "Just be patient" ... but the other part of my brain says "Just a little peice of shell, if I remove just a tiny peice, the chick will have something to work with"

 

[Shelly_WNC]

OMG ... sorry to hear about those insane ants ... argh. It's bad enough that our patience are thin during the last days but then all that distraction.

I wish you all the best with the last eggs! I not to much help as my only two hatches didn't go so good - I can't get the humidity figured out.

 

[clairabean]

Don't do it!

You can quickly, like a ninja, reach in and fix the thermometer. Quick, fast, and barely open the lid for your arm. Ants will probably not hurt the unhatched egg.

If you can hear a racket, that is awesome! Good luck for your hatch!

 

[hallerlake]

I'm concerned about what will happen if the chick hatches, and you still have ants going in the incubator. What kind of incubator do you have? Maybe you could try tanglefoot or even petroleum jelly around the incubator or sit it on something in a big pan of water that the ants won't cross. If it's a cabinet type, maybe you could put the legs in cans of water. I wouldn't want a helpless baby covered with ants.

 

[anaiyuk]

I agree nija fast!

Read the temp before going any further, then decide if you should help.

 

[rancher hicks]

First lets deal with the ants.

Get some ant poison the kind you put drops of on cardboard and place it in the path the ants travel, but under something so the dog can't get at it. In fact keep the dog out of the room entirely. The ant's will carry it back to the nest and that will be the end of them. I use this stuff all the time in the kitchen and it works great.

Now to the egg.

IF YOU SET THE EGGS ALL ON THE SAME DAY, and it's day 23,24 etc. it's not likely the chick is ever going to make it out healthy, so I say toss it. Put it in the freezer for about 5 minutes and that should take care of it.


BUT, I know you don't want to do that so, you can do what others have suggested, but I doubt the outcome will be good. It will struggle until it's to weak and then die. That would be my guess.


Or just leave the thermometer where it is cuz it's not likely the temp will change that much. From what I've read and my experience tells me a fluctuation of .5 either way won't make that much of a difference.

However chickens can surprise you and it might just get out. I hope so.


Rancher

 

[anaiyuk]

If you end up deciding to help it but are not sure how then pm me!

 

[violetsky]

I think you should try to help him out before freezing him.

 

[rebel-rousing-at-night]

Hi,I'm sorry you're having ant problems.
Let me tell you how I fixed "my ants" last summer.They were in my bathroom.I remembered they follow a trail.What if I messed their trail up?That is what I did and I got rid of them.
I had Young Living lemon oil.I took a small amt. and wiped it across their trail.Oh man that got them confused.

I loved watching them look for their trail.

I did it a few times and if a new trail was started I did it to the new trail. Got rid of the rascals without poison. I would think any citrus peel or essential oil would work.If I used an essential oil I would be sure it was safe around animals and ppl.

 

[adrian]

Perhaps I'm the only one who thinks that the chick should have at least made a pip by now, but I'd be concerned that the chick may be unable to hatch on its own...