It is a miracle that this chick even hatched!

sweeterdeeter42

Songster
8 Years
Mar 10, 2011
682
3
131
Northern Illinois
So, My first broody ever had ten of her own eggs in her nest on the floor of the coop. They started hatching on the 11th and finished hatching on the 24th. Some time between the 11th and the 13th our new polish/silkie/who-knows-what mix hen layed an egg in the nest when the broody got up to eat. The broody sat on the nest until the last of her eggs hatched on the 24th. Then she abandoned the nest and the little white egg. It happened to be the coolest week we have had in a while as well, highs in the upper 70's lows in the 50's. So this little egg was cold for 3 or 4 days before I noticed that the nest had been scratched away and it was just sitting under the straw and getting kicked around. I picked it up and candled it, and it still had a strong vein system in it, but I couldnt see any movement. I brought it in and started up my LG incubator and stuck it in there just for the heck of it. After a few hours I candled it again, and this time the lil embryo was moving since it had warmed up. I thought for sure it would not hatch, it didnt look like it was developed enough to be at 2 1/2 weeks, and I candled it every couple days expecting it to be dead. Last night I had just about given up hope, and I picked it up to candle it and on the side facing down was a pip. About an hour ago it finally hatched, but was dragging the shell around with it still. It had completely absorbed the yolks sack, but it was starting to absorb the membrane that is on the inside of the shell, which I have never seen before. There was no blood, so I cut it free from the membrane and now it is running around the incubator and is very loud. So this little chick beat the odds and seems to be very healthy.

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