Hey all!
I'm probably the only insomniac on here right now, but I have some hatching questions I'm hoping you experts can help me with!!!
#1 Do chickens have meconium??? (My last lavender orp was rocking, but then never hatched. When I was sure it was dead I put the egg in a ziploc and cracked the shell like I do all my non-hatches to try and learn more. The chick was fully developed, but dead. My first thought was it drowned in pipping, but the fluid that came out was slime green. I also noticed a couple of the chicks now in the brooder have the dark tar like excrement. I worked as a nurse in labor & delivery so I know all about human babies having this, but never though about it in other animals. I thought possibly it was meconium (or chicken version) that came out while pipping and killed the chick? I know in it can be life threatening to human babies if meconium is leaked into the amniotic fluid because the baby breathes it in and in worst case scenarios gets respiratory failure.
#2 Two additional chicks I had to take out of the shell for being dead were totally developed but died. There were no external pips, not sure about internal, but they looked like a normal developed chick. What could cause them to die? I know drowning is big is there a way to prevent that? Could taking out the auto egg turner at lock down have caused them problems?
Finally, but not a question, my lavender orpingtons have become homicidal to my poor blue marans! I moved them all to a brooder in my master bath so I can be close to them and when I went to the bathroom I found two of my marans face down in the waterer with lav orps standing on the back of their heads pushing them down! I pulled them out right away and tried to dry them, but it was too late they were cold
I can't wait, been dying for olive eggs. And my marans hens should begin laying any day now
