ChicketyChick
Hatching
- May 19, 2015
- 4
- 0
- 7
Hello,
I'm new to all of this, as a family (I have 2 young children) it seemed a lovely idea to borrow an incubator and hatch some chicks for Easter, we picked Indian Running Ducks, bought 6 eggs and waited our 28 days - well we got that wrong, a broken thermometer I think so the eggs probably never reached the correct temp. We are on attempt 2, 6 more eggs, a new thermometer and we Candled this time....
So 3 days early my first little Duckling Hatched, my 3 year old Son called him Puffin, he was very cute & yellow, having never experienced it before we were not sure what to expect but he took an age to come out of the shell from when we first noticed hole, over 12 hours, we left him in the incubator overnight to dry out and could tell that one of his legs was not right the next morning when we moved him to the hot lamp (I also notice he had one dull eye) we all were very excited and immediately attached, reassured that even with a wonky leg he could live a happy life, we did look on YouTube (after phoning the vet who told us they didn't deal with birds) and fashioned a mini homemade splint, basically strapping the backwards leg to the good one in the hope it would right itself. Anyway I was devastated when I checked on him at 10pm last night to find he has died, so so sad, poor little yellow fluffy creature he was eating & drinking a couple of hours before and looking fine, & had to tell the kids this morning.
Last night a 2nd chick hatched (with a little help from me this time) and immediately I can see the difference, this one can walk for a start, but also bright eyes, chirpy, has had a little swim round its water bowl, eating etc... moving about the pen. But I have noticed it is scratching all of the time, so not yet 24 hours old and constantly scratching its neck with his foot. Is this a bad sign, I hate the thought of losing another one.
I also do not think my remaining eggs look very hopeful, no more signs of hatching and I just candled and I don't see a chick silhouette which was pretty clear with the other two. Any advice on a lone chick, will it just become part of the family like a pet, or should we be considering getting it a little friend. (Not sure I can bear the whole incubator thing a third time, its all too stressful and upsettig and we are clearly doing something wrong, probably the humidity I think.
Sorry long post, but can't help but get attached to the little creatures. Really don't want to lose our lonely little Indian Running Duckling. Thanks
I'm new to all of this, as a family (I have 2 young children) it seemed a lovely idea to borrow an incubator and hatch some chicks for Easter, we picked Indian Running Ducks, bought 6 eggs and waited our 28 days - well we got that wrong, a broken thermometer I think so the eggs probably never reached the correct temp. We are on attempt 2, 6 more eggs, a new thermometer and we Candled this time....
So 3 days early my first little Duckling Hatched, my 3 year old Son called him Puffin, he was very cute & yellow, having never experienced it before we were not sure what to expect but he took an age to come out of the shell from when we first noticed hole, over 12 hours, we left him in the incubator overnight to dry out and could tell that one of his legs was not right the next morning when we moved him to the hot lamp (I also notice he had one dull eye) we all were very excited and immediately attached, reassured that even with a wonky leg he could live a happy life, we did look on YouTube (after phoning the vet who told us they didn't deal with birds) and fashioned a mini homemade splint, basically strapping the backwards leg to the good one in the hope it would right itself. Anyway I was devastated when I checked on him at 10pm last night to find he has died, so so sad, poor little yellow fluffy creature he was eating & drinking a couple of hours before and looking fine, & had to tell the kids this morning.
Last night a 2nd chick hatched (with a little help from me this time) and immediately I can see the difference, this one can walk for a start, but also bright eyes, chirpy, has had a little swim round its water bowl, eating etc... moving about the pen. But I have noticed it is scratching all of the time, so not yet 24 hours old and constantly scratching its neck with his foot. Is this a bad sign, I hate the thought of losing another one.
I also do not think my remaining eggs look very hopeful, no more signs of hatching and I just candled and I don't see a chick silhouette which was pretty clear with the other two. Any advice on a lone chick, will it just become part of the family like a pet, or should we be considering getting it a little friend. (Not sure I can bear the whole incubator thing a third time, its all too stressful and upsettig and we are clearly doing something wrong, probably the humidity I think.
Sorry long post, but can't help but get attached to the little creatures. Really don't want to lose our lonely little Indian Running Duckling. Thanks
welcome to BYC !!
