One Lonely Egg- need help!

[FosterFeathers]

After incubating a small batch of eggs (that had a very rough delivery) I’m on day 12 and now down to only one egg. The others quit one by one early on but this one is moving like crazy when I candle it. I just had a different batch hatch yesterday and just set a new batch. So this single one, if it makes it, will be weeks apart from the others. Do people usually cull the egg at this point? Being chickens are social and he would have no one his age? Or should we just hatch him and spoil him by himself. I’m really not sure what to do. Any advice would be appreciated!

 

[kelseyk]

You might be able to put him in with the older group where they will only be 9 days apart. I have a brooder pen of mixed age chicks where the oldest ones are 2 weeks older than the younger ones and they are doing fine.

 

[FuzzyCritters]

If you have another batch that hatched yesterday, why can't the chick live with them? There would be almost no age difference.

 

[FosterFeathers]

Yeah, I just candled the egg again and there is so much life and movement. This egg was one of 4 that weren’t broken from a shipment of 14 eggs! I decided to just throw the 4 in the Bator. The breeder did send me more eggs, but I was curious if any of them From the first shipment COULD make it? The other 3 quit pretty early with blood rings, but this guy seems to be thriving! My 13 year old daughter says she will be it’s momma and friend. Hopefully he will be able to get along, (and not pick on) the smaller chicks when they hatch. IF HE HATCHES, it will be a miracle, seeing as this was the most damaged package I’ve ever received!

 

[kelseyk]

Yeah, I just candled the egg again and there is so much life and movement. This egg was one of 4 that weren’t broken from a shipment of 14 eggs! I decided to just throw the 4 in the Bator. The breeder did send me more eggs, but I was curious if any of them From the first shipment COULD make it? The other 3 quit pretty early with blood rings, but this guy seems to be thriving! My 13 year old daughter says she will be it’s momma and friend. Hopefully he will be able to get along, (and not pick on) the smaller chicks when they hatch. IF HE HATCHES, it will be a miracle, seeing as this was the most damaged package I’ve ever received! View attachment 2170400View attachment 2170401View attachment 2170402View attachment 2170403View attachment 2170404View attachment 2170405

Oh my! That is one beat up box! It is interesting to see how different people ship their eggs. I have never seen anyone use pool noodle before.

 

[FosterFeathers]

I just never have had to introduce a SINGLE chick different age. I Just don’t want anybody to get beat up, or be the “outcast.” But if you all think it is close enough, then I think I’m gonna try it. So yeah,
First batch hatched yesterday, May 30
Loner Egg due: June 9
Last batch due: June 21
So he would be 11 days younger than my 5 chicks now, and 18 days older than the batch of eggs I just set.

 

[FosterFeathers]

Oh my! That is one beat up box! It is interesting to see how different people ship their eggs. I have never seen anyone use pool noodle before.

Me either, but I recommended a different way to pick them, where I’ve never had broken ones, and she did! So that’s good. This was my replacement. I originally ordered 12 eggs and she sent me 16.

 

[kelseyk]

Me either, but I recommended a different way to pick them, where I’ve never had broken ones, and she did! So that’s good. This was my replacement. I originally ordered 12 eggs and she sent me 16.View attachment 2170422View attachment 2170423View attachment 2170424View attachment 2170425

That packaging looks soooooo much better! In the original batch of eggs, were all the eggs still inside the pool noodle or did some of the eggs slip out?

 

[NatJ]

I just never have had to introduce a SINGLE chick different age.
First batch hatched yesterday, May 30
Loner Egg due: June 9
Last batch due: June 21
So he would be 11 days younger than my 5 chicks now, and 18 days older than the batch of eggs I just set.

If you're worried about introducing one chick to many, you could do it the other way around: set up a brooder for this one, and introduce the others to him one-by-one. (Probably add one the first day, the second a day or two later, the third a day or so later yet, then the fourth and fifth together so you don't leave one of them alone at the end.)

It will work better with a large (or at least long) brooder, so one end can be warm enough for the just-hatched baby, and the other end quite cool (don't want the big ones getting overheated, and it won't hurt the littlest one to go play in the cool part and then run back to warm up.)

 

[FosterFeathers]

That packaging looks soooooo much better! In the original batch of eggs, were all the eggs still inside the pool noodle or did some of the eggs slip out?

All the eggs slipped out and we’re all in the bottom broken together and mixed with shredded newspaper. It was a mess! When I picked them up at the PO, he told me to take the mail tote because my package was “leaking.”