Intervention: Helping Your Chicks Hatch

[fowlweatherfriends]

aran, I hope its ok, but chances are if no movement it didn't make it. I am so glad you took the courage to do it! My heart breaks whenever I read someone posting that they don't hear anything or see movement after so many hours. You just know the babies are dying in their shells.

I truly believe that a greater amount of chicks can live if there is some intervention. The best method for hatching is a broody hen, but our only other choice is the incubator. And honestly, I think there are so many human factors involved with getting the temps just right, and the humidity that the reason more don't hatch is not that they are "too weak" to survive. I think becasue humans and artificial conditions are involved in the incubation process that some will need help to make it out.

Now, I don't say that everyone should grab up their eggs and start hatching them, just keep an eye on when to intervene. I hope the rest of your hatch turns out good!

 

[aran]

unfortunately the chick appears to be dead...still no movement or unfolding and its been over an hour. I will certainly intervene considerably eariler next time...this chick looks perfect anatomically.

 

[aran]

FWF...after what happened last time this hatch when a BL polish pipped at noon...i watched for progress, sounds, cheeps etc...well at 530pm with no progress and less and less noise coming from the egg i decided to intervene...i have just over the course of about 25mins using your directions hatched a very lively and perfect looking BL polish chick. I have never seen a baby hatch before so it was really awesome but there was no way this chick was getting out of there. the membrane was stuck to him/her and had gone white it was so dry in areas. Im not talking about the outer tough white membrane just inside the shell, im talking about the one that covers the chick itself with the blood vessels in it. I had to delicately avoid the blood vessels whilst removing that membrane. He/she is now drying off in the bator having been out of the egg for about 2-3 min total. It hasnt stood up yet...i dunno how long they normally take to do that..i guess we will see...its little feet are all curled up too...i dont know if that will straighten out on its own either...we will see! I will keep you posted.

 

[Davaroo]

Basically, you are a surgeon here and everything FWF said holds true. Follow the advice given.

 

[jdypat]

Iv been hatching chicks for several years now in my incubator. Ive had much success and much failure. Its familiar to me to read when someone swears to never intervene again and ive also swore to intervene much sooner next time. haha
Ive also swore off hatching totally. Then one hen, da of anacona rooster and white leghorn, started laying green eggs and I was taken over again. actually he was also her grandpa. amazed me..
Im waiting now on day 18 to see whats in those eggs, if anything. I cannot candle them and the suspence is killing me. four white eggs are in with them and they are in wonderful shape.
I was so sure that i would never incubate again especially after two of my hens became broody and hatached her eggs so effortlessly and had wonderful healthy chicks. but here i go again.. i did away with the electric turner.. could never get a hatch out of that and ive also stopped worrying so about havng the humidity so high. I think ive drowned many chicks.
so im waiting it wont be long now. wish me luck. jdypat

 

[jdypat]

one more thing.... in my early days of hatching, i have opened the eggs so far way toooo early that the yoke was still attached to the chick. totally.... and believe it or not, i have had a chick lay, appearing to be near death and after several days that yoke disapeared and that chick came out just fine. i considered it a premmie and was so amazed ...
that was a learning experience, but i dont want to do it again. so im more careful now. and watch the date better.

ive seen on the internet where the eggs were "topped" and covered with saran wrap and hatched while being filmed. that was so amazing. jdy

 

[jdypat]

Id be so careful when "wetting" the membrane. Ive drowned chicks this way not knowing the danger. Luck.. has much to do with this. so good luck jdy

 

[momtoecl]

I too am worried that it may have got too wet but then again I was so careful to use a q-tip and not come in contact with the area where I could see the beak.

 

[jdypat]

the q tip is a good idea.
ive tried so hard to hatch eggs, a grandmother alone most of the time, i have the energy and time to devote to studying and caring for my eggs and to do all that is known to do. Ive had few "great successes". when i get 50 percent i feel wonderful.. soo on with this story.
my grandson, Alec.. 12 years old was so amazed by this process, he talked me into loaning him an incubator and some eggs. I took it to his house, set it up in his room and gave him detailed directions. he watched and listened over the roar of his nintendo. I left knowing well, in my age of knowledge that the eggs would be better used as omelets.
22 days later.. he called me 10 of his 12 eggs had hatched with NO intervention and with NO applause. He discovered them when he got home from school ... what did I learn from this..? nothing i still piddle too much. jdy

 

[momtoecl]

We have helped two hatch (the first one we lost) and one came on its on. So, I am glad that I did help the first two. I htink I was two late with the one which died.
Today they are all dried out and fluffy. I was in the process of moving them to a brooder and cleaning out the remiaing eggs when I heard a cheep coming from one of them. So I immediately put he two reamaining eggs back in. One has pipped but not broken through the membrane. I am worried that I let the humidity go down while the two hatched chicks were coming into their own. I have put a damp cloth in the incubator and have put damp cloths loosely around the eggs base hoping to help them get moist. What do you think?