I'm so tickled!

[Sylviaanne]

The incubator of eggs that I thought I had cooked on the 3rd day of incubation?

I have 6 pipped eggs! I had hoped but didn't expect any of them to hatch. I can't wait to see if they are ok. They are due tomorrow from the date I put them in the incubator. Sylvia

 

[mrchicks]

Congrats! Make sure to post pics of the chicks.

 

[Sylviaanne]

I have 5 chicks and 8 pipped eggs. I do seem to have a problem though. One of the eggs that is pipped, the beak is sticking out but it's not moving. I can't get the chick to make a sound and when I touch it's beak, it doesn't feel like it is responding in any way. I don't know how but I think it died in the shell with the shell opened enough it can breathe. Sylvia

 

[mrchicks]

I would carefully chip away at the shell around the pip to see if it's alive.

 

[Sylviaanne]

The hole it has it's beak sticking out of isn't small. I can move the beak around a tiny bit but it feels stiff, like rigor has set in. Sylvia

 

[mrchicks]

I'd open the egg enough to be positive, then toss it. You don't want to leave it in the incubator dead. I'm so sorry.

 

[Sylviaanne]

I think so too. I'll wait until my husband gets home and have him bury the little thing. Sylvia

 

[Sylviaanne]

I have another problem. I have a new little chick that still has the shell stuck to it. When I opened the incubator to pick it up, before I knew it was still attached to the shell, it tried to crawl into my hand. As I checked the unpipped eggs, it kept following my hands trying to get into them. How long should I do nothing about the shell stuck to it and when/if it becomes necessary what do I do? Thanks, Sylvia

 

[mrchicks]

Is it dried on? If you have to remove the shell, make sure you dampen it first. You don't want to rip off feathers and skin while trying to help. I'd use a warm wet cotton swab and slowly work the shell off in little pieces.

 

[Sylviaanne]

No, it seems moist but I could try to work more of the shell off. There doesn't seem to be any veins in the shell, it looks like an umbilical cord. Sylvia