My emu chicks have hatched!!

[farmchick897]

I had 5 chicks hatch and 5 eggs with fully formed chicks but membranes were shrunk around them and they never broke through shell. One looked like it broke through membrane but not through shell. Anyone know what would cause this? Is there anything I could have done differently to prevent this?

 

[paneubert]

Shrink wrapping is usually due to low humidity near hatch time. That might have been the reason.

 

[darkbluespace]

If they never broke the shell, they may have not lost quite enough weight to be able to move enough to break through. That is how it usually goes with chicks in general anyway. Did you weigh the eggs along the way?

I am glad you got some chicks. I have 4 eggs about to hatch!

 

[farmchick897]

No, I didn't weigh eggs. The humidity stayed at 25-30% without adding any water, so I left it at that. Perhaps I should have increased it at the end? Why would 5 hatch fine at those levels and not the other 5? Seems as though if I adjusted humidity to get a perfect weight loss on the 5 that didn't hatch (assuming that was the trouble) wouldn't that have impacted the 5 that hatched fine with no help? Also, as a side note we had a power outage between the time those 5 hatched and others did not. The power was out 2 hours and we put blankets over incubator but it still was a critical time to have that happen. Thanks for the opinions and help.

 

[darkbluespace]

I figure that nature makes eggs in a variety of sizes, variations of shapes to account for the variability of conditions in nature that they might be incubated in. So that in dryer times, some of the eggs would hatch and wetter times, other eggs would hatch. Nature does not necessarily intend for all the eggs to hatch, even under optimal conditions. So when you are incubating and you want all the eggs to hatch, you have to give each egg the conditions it needs. Most people opt for an average that helps most eggs hatch. I have more than one incubator so I can incubate the same bunch of eggs separately if I feel I need to. Because emu eggs are so large, I think there is a lot more variety than in smaller birds and because they are totally opaque, weighing them is the only way to have any idea how they are doing.

 

[darkbluespace]

Bummer on the power outage, what crummy timing.

 

[farmchick897]

Does anyone know if you can wing tag a baby emu for permanent id? Trying to figure out the best and least painful way to tag them this young. Thanks!!

 

[darkbluespace]

I would probably go with colored zip ties around the leg.

 

[farmchick897]

Yeah, I just don't want to keep handling their legs as they grow to be sure a zip tie doesn't get too tight. It doesn't take much for those toes to slice you open. I would prefer a more permanent solution.

 

[darkbluespace]

Yeah, I just don't want to keep handling their legs as they grow to be sure a zip tie doesn't get too tight. It doesn't take much for those toes to slice you open. I would prefer a more permanent solution.

While they are very young, is a perfect time to handle their feet and legs a lot so they are used to it, whether you band their legs or not, their feet may need care in the future and if they are used to being handled it can make it easier on them and you.

My emu chicks have wings that are only an inch long right now, I can't see how It could be tagged.