My homemade incubator.

[kada6305]

we got one hatch. The other internally piped through a vein on the membrane and bled out. The hatching chick has a cross over beak and 1 missing eye. The other chick also had a cross over beak. So I wont be purchasing eggs from that ebay seller again.

 

[only1bgirl]

Oh no so sorry to hear that. I've got a month old with a cross beak not good, I've been hand feeding it, holding beak in position also wetting food in a tall shot glass for it. I have a thread going about this. Most likely I should cull but I just can't do it, little chick has a strong will to survive. I got the best eggs from a lady that goes by divertracy on EBay she's In Florida. She has a great variety of colors. I've got a beautiful moors grey with a vaulted head and a white with a full beard from her. My incubator spiked so many times only two hatched out of 24 that were all developing but I'm thankful for the two. The crossbeak is not from her, this was from a local breeder, which shocked me because this lady has been breeding these birds for the last 40+ years so I assumed it happened from my incubators heat spiking. Your crossbeak chick might make it with only one eye as my gray chick cannot see and walks around with her eyes closed because her crest and beard completely cover her eyes now at almost 4 months. We put her "hair" up in a pony tail but the white bird pulls the band out.

 

[kada6305]

She is 2 days old now and we haven't been able to get her to eat or drink. I wet her food, I dip her beak in the water and food every 2 hours.
Would it be better to have a nipple style waterer for her? I contacted the E-bay buyer. He never had any of these issues with his hatches but recently hadded 3 new lavender hens...Think they may be the issue so they are now in a separate pen and is sending me more eggs free of charge.

 

[only1bgirl]

I didn't get a nipple feeder, mine started drinking out of a dish. Doesn't sound good, hand feeding here is opening chicks beak and putting a ball of wet mush in the back of her throat. I also put a spoon with water in her beak when I held her to help wash food down. Might be worth opening chicks beak and seeing if it's throat and mouth look normal and unobstructed. With its missing eye makes me wonder if it has more deformities. I'm so sorry. It is good the seller is going to send you more eggs though. I checked Ebay again and she does have more eggs on. I know she has several colors including lavender http://www.ebay.com/itm/12-Silkie-H...028?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4d253e32d4

 

[Lowri12]

Hi I'm looking for some help! I'm on day 18 of my hatch and keeping the humidity above 60% for the last few hours is proving very difficult. I was wondering if someone could help me by telling me if it's ok to open the bator to add a few wet sponges at this stage or is it too late?

 

[kada6305]

I open my incubator to add water, no problem. Besdies your only on day 18. I don't lockdown until end f day 18 or begining of day 19.

 

[only1bgirl]

Another thing that I noticed looking at the photos, is the bedding material in the brooder, I had to take pine shavings out with the Silkie chicks because they wouldn't stop eating it. I just use paper towels in my brooder box now. Another thing that helped to boost the chicks energy up was giving it boiled mashed egg same force feeding maneuver. So hard having a lone chick too. Hoping for the best and I'm so sorry.

 

[Lowri12]

Ok thank you very much!

 

[kada6305]

I've always used sand. But maybe covering with paper towels until she eats and drinks on her own won't be a bad idea. She is really active today chirping away. She was pecking at the food but couldnt tell if she was actually eating it.

 

[only1bgirl]

@kada6305 Is the chick still eliminating waste?