INDIANA BYC'ers HERE!

[kanina]

Tonight is eggtopsie night. I'm really not looking forward to it, I'm not squeamish but idk. Maybe the heartbreak?

Anyways, I could use some suggestions on how to do it. Seems like in a clear plastic bag is the way to go. Is a Ziploc sandwich baggie enough or should I use freezer bags? Is there a good way to crack the egg?

I'll hit day 25 by the time I get to it tonight and I think its safe to call it since there's been no new development.

 

[Faraday40]

Tonight is eggtopsie night. I'm really not looking forward to it, I'm not squeamish but idk. Maybe the heartbreak?

Anyways, I could use some suggestions on how to do it. Seems like in a clear plastic bag is the way to go. Is a Ziploc sandwich baggie enough or should I use freezer bags? Is there a good way to crack the egg?

I'll hit day 25 by the time I get to it tonight and I think its safe to call it since there's been no new development.

My preference is to go slow & careful.
* I'm an optimist & want to be as careful as possible, so I can stop at any moment if there's a chance of life.
1. Candle & tap egg
2. Draw pencil line around egg where the air cell is.
3. Over sink: make a small crack in the air cell area
4. Peel away top of egg, moisten the membrane with warm water to make it transparent. (If I see yolk - just dump into disposal or a gallon ziplock; it was either not fertile or an early quitter)
5. Continue to peel away shell without tearing the membrane. I consider this practice for assist hatching. It's not like you can kill it again. I put the bodies & other misc debris in a ziplock before the trash, and thoroughly clean up when done. It's cold outside, but if you worry about odor attracting critters, you can always double bag.

Only FOUR TIMES (out of many, many eggs past day 24) I got to the step of wetting the membrane and I felt/saw movement. I immediately stopped and wrapped the topless egg in wet paper towel and popped back into the incubator. One of those chicks survived. (I think it was just to big too hatch.) The others I later discovered had birth defects which explained why they didn't hatch on their own.

Most of the time, you'll find a dead embryo with or without a yolk sac. You can compare to an incubation growth chart and estimate the time of death.

Good Luck.

 

[Nyla]

Just found out my only Italian Quail had really bad pasty butt.Spent 1 hour cleaning it up. I've noticed he was very boney and wings hanging, but never paid too close attention til today when I picked him up.. He had a spike like shape of built up poo hanging and was very hard. Soaked him a good 15 minutes and chucked it off little by little. Now it's all clean and will try to keep it clean! I really hope he pulls through. He is my only italian currently! He is also only 3 weeks old... I have a 3 day old itlaian chick but no clue if it's a male or female. My pasty butt one is a male he has a rusty chest already.

 

[hanakimi]

thanks everyone for your responses. Sorry for my delay in responding but my internet just came back this evening after being off for two days.

You know I will LOL Just holler.

thank you @jchny2000 for offering to do that I now feel so much better with a place to give any boys I get a home

 

[Soon2BChixMom]

Just found out my only Italian Quail had really bad pasty butt.Spent 1 hour cleaning it up. I've noticed he was very boney and wings hanging, but never paid too close attention til today when I picked him up.. He had a spike like shape of built up poo hanging and was very hard. Soaked him a good 15 minutes and chucked it off little by little. Now it's all clean and will try to keep it clean! I really hope he pulls through. He is my only italian currently! He is also only 3 weeks old... I have a 3 day old itlaian chick but no clue if it's a male or female. My pasty butt one is a male he has a rusty chest already.

Awe. Poor guy. Hope he makes a swift recovery!
I noticed a few of my girls had dome "rocks" of poop dangling. I sprayed with poultry care and picked at it until it came off. I don't think it is considered pasty butt. But, why don't they clean themselves?

 

[kanina]

You know I will LOL Just holler.
/QUOTE]

I have a White Silkie roo. I can bring him to you tonight since we're fairly close if you're interested (PM me). He's a big boy so he'd be good for a stew pot. I can't seem to find my deep dutch oven to process him.

 

[Nyla]

I don't know. It's my only one thats like this. Also my 3 day old chick thats also my only Italian of this group has a messy butt. Maybe it's from the poor breeding practices.. The lady I bought them from has been inner breeding them since the first batch of quails I sold her last year.. She doesn't want to introduce a problem?

Awe. Poor guy. Hope he makes a swift recovery!
I noticed a few of my girls had dome "rocks" of poop dangling. I sprayed with poultry care and picked at it until it came off. I don't think it is considered pasty butt. But, why don't they clean themselves?

 

[Faraday40]

Sad news of the day:
I got home from a biopsy (you'd think that would have been the worst part of my day)
and went out to the coop. I found Princess Lay-a inside the coop & she had a touch of blood on her head & beak. I gently picked her up & saw some additional scratches on one side.....and then a large flap of skin/feathers was open to show several fatty bodies, neck muscle & an exposed crop. UGH! Surprisingly over 1/3 of the skin around her hackle area was ripped off and hanging. She was still alive. I know it's very difficult to stitch up such a large area (several inches) and that chicken skin tears easily. Then there's the battle of infection. I looked at it logically. My sweet hen layed like a champ but would be 6 yrs old this summer. She was in shock & I need to take care of myself right now. It was too hard for me to process Princess by myself, so I called my handyman. Princess has always been the top hen, best producer, and an all around good chicken. She foraged well, went broody once a year in June, was a fierce mother or could also be broken easily. She wasn't constantly underfoot like a silkie or in need of constant treats & snuggles like the orps, or overly vocal like the Sebright & Sussex. She did not do tricks, was not the most beautiful nor the center of attention. She was not even a purebred, but she was always part of our flock from the beginning and was a great bird. She liked to greet me for a brief pet to say hello & then went about her day.

As I type this, the egg she laid this morning is sitting on the desk in front of me.
RIP my dear old friend.

 

[Leahs Mom]

@Faraday40
Very sorry for the loss. Always hard. Do you know what happened? Hawk attack?

 

[Nyla]

I'm so sorry for your loss! I hope you recover well emotionally and physically!

Sad news of the day:
I got home from a biopsy (you'd think that would have been the worst part of my day)
and went out to the coop. I found Princess Lay-a inside the coop & she had a touch of blood on her head & beak. I gently picked her up & saw some additional scratches on one side.....and then a large flap of skin/feathers was open to show several fatty bodies, neck muscle & an exposed crop. UGH! Surprisingly over 1/3 of the skin around her hackle area was ripped off and hanging. She was still alive. I know it's very difficult to stitch up such a large area (several inches) and that chicken skin tears easily. Then there's the battle of infection. I looked at it logically. My sweet hen layed like a champ but would be 6 yrs old this summer. She was in shock & I need to take care of myself right now. It was too hard for me to process Princess by myself, so I called my handyman. Princess has always been the top hen, best producer, and an all around good chicken. She foraged well, went broody once a year in June, was a fierce mother or could also be broken easily. She wasn't constantly underfoot like a silkie or in need of constant treats & snuggles like the orps, or overly vocal like the Sebright & Sussex. She did not do tricks, was not the most beautiful nor the center of attention. She was not even a purebred, but she was always part of our flock from the beginning and was a great bird. She liked to greet me for a brief pet to say hello & then went about her day.

As I type this, the egg she laid this morning is sitting on the desk in front of me.
RIP my dear old friend.