premature birth

[capper2013]

hi, I am new to this growing chicks venture.
I have had a bunch of eggs growing in the incubator for 18 days now, so nearly there.
unfortunately I broke 2 eggs either yesterday or the day before by putting the lid on without paying attention. the automatic turner pierced one egg through to the developing chick, which in turn damaged the air pocket on another egg.
the one with the air pocket damaged has still got the internal membrane in one piece so I have left it in the incubator and just hope for the best.
it is the other one I am more concerned with.
I decided to look at the unborn chick to see how it had developed. the shell was completely ruptured, with a little blood seepage.
it was quite sad s this happened due to my negligence.
as I was about to clear the mess away I noticed that the chick moved. it appeared fully formed and the yolk was still intact.
it started opening its beak and moving it's feet.
I got some paper tissue with warm water on it put it in a shallow bowl then put it back in the incubator.
is there any hope this chick could survive?
if so then what do I need to do?
it is out of its shell but still attached to a sealed yolk.
it has been one or two days since it broke and remains in a live state.
am I hoping too much or does it stand a chance, if only small, of surviving?

I live in the uk, have several acres of land and I am hoping to incubate some geese and possibly turkeys in the future too.
Edited by Staff

 

[Yorkshire Coop]

Hi from Yorkshire UK

Glad you could join the flock! You have given it the best chance of survival and done the right thing as in putting it in a bowl. At day 18 they are pretty much fully developed its more the absorption of the yolk sac that is critical now for the chick. If it absorbs the yolk I would think it has a chance. You need to watch for it puncturing the sac so you may need transfer the chick to a cup or something smaller to stop it moving. Click on this link https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/step-by-step-guide-to-assisted-hatching for ideas on how best to help a chick with uasorbed yolk.

Try not to beat yourself up about the mistake it has happened to us all I know I've made my fair share

Wishing you the very best of luck with your chicks and hope your others hatch safely for you

 

[capper2013]

thank you for your prompt response and kind words, I guess time will tell now, although I don't feel particularly hopeful.
thank you for pointing me to the articles on assisted hatching, looks to be a fine read.

 

[TwoCrows]

Hello there and welcome to BYC!

I am so sorry about this.

I have damaged eggs in the past and know how it feels. You might also post in our Hatching Eggs forums. I am sure lots of members go through this all the time there and may be able to give you more advice...https://www.backyardchickens.com/f/5/incubating-hatching-eggs

Good luck with this and please keep us posted!

 

[Wyandottes7]

Welcome to BYC!

Glad you could join or community.

I'm sorry to hear about your damaged egg!

Don't feel too bad, it happens to everyone at least once. Three days into incubation, while candling eggs, I accidentally dropped the flashlight on a fertile, developing egg. I was fortunate that it only received a small crack and the membrane didn't break. I sealed the crack with wax and 18 days later, "Waxy" ended up hatching. Don't give up hope on your egg, even though it is later in the incubation!

Good luck with your chick! I hope he turns out okay. All you can do now is wait.

 

[BantamFan4Life]

Welcome to BYC! I'm glad you joined us!

 

[sourland]

Welcome to BYC, and good luck with that chick.

 

[capper2013]

hello,

thank you all for the welcome notes and reassurance.
as an update the exposed chick sadly died.
I guess it was too much too soon for it, I think the ruptured blood vessels in the membrane were too much for it's tiny body.
I don't suppose I will make that particular mistake again, just a shame it cost a viable life.
so onward and upward, the eggs are shut down and waiting to hatch, more to follow as it happens.

a bit about me;
I live in wales uk and have a sizeable piece of land. my aim is to free range chickens, geese, maybe a duck or two and a few turkeys.
these will all be predominantly for consumption in one way or another, be that eggs or meat, although I have always wanted a bunch of geese to squeal at the postman and other visitors for entertainment purposes.
my land consists of a few fields and a wooded area with a stream that runs the entire length of my property.
my plan is for all the birds to have a free run of everywhere, hopefully predominantly in the wooded area, leaving them to explore and hunt for the majority of their food; subsidised by a bit of layers mash in their home.
as a youth growing up in the 80's I worked on a hen farm on weekends and school holidays. the farm was of the battery type, which although illegal now, was at the time the way things were done.
in defence of my boss, he was a wonderful guy who loved his hens. he refused to put 5 to a cage as he deemed it cruel, in the larger sheds he ran with 3 to a cage and in the smaller sheds it was 2 to a cage. quite unheard of at the time.
I remember we used to have to knock on the door before entering a hen house.
so, I had many years experience with hens in a slightly different setting to nowadays.
I like the idea of rearing rare breeds from the perspective of continuation of the different breeds and for having something a little out of the ordinary.
I am starting with chickens, however I do have the space to move on to mammals at a later date; I just figured I would start with what I know and progress.
I have already planted a new woodland on my land, I like the low maintenance aspect and free firewood. the established woodland is around 3/4 of an acre, the newly planted one will add another 1.5 acres of woodland.
so plenty of exploring places for my brood.

 

[drumstick diva]

Welcome to Backyard chickens. You have a good head on your shoulders and I am certain you will succeed with chickens, as well as the mammals you hope to add. Sounds like you have a great place for animals to enjoy - as well as humans.

 

[Kelsie2290]

Hello and Welcome To BYC! Sorry the chick didn't make it good luck with the rest of the incubation and your future plans for your farm.