As much as I try not to interviene during hatching, I just as often do. Well, last hatch I had an egg that pipped and zipped a small amount, but wasn't doing much else. I did my best to leave it be, and succeeded for maybe a day+. But when I got back from work, I could see lots of fluids through the small zip, and that the chick was aspirating on them. Well, figuring that the worst I could do was kill it (which appeared to be the fate if I didn't), I got out my egg assist tool (a dental device for scraping plaque off your teeth) and started opening it.
As I worked around, the smell was really bad... I didn't know what I was going to find and was mentally preparing for a rotten chick that I'd have to put down anyways. Just as I got to the head, I saw the problem... The poor bird had hooked it's toe nail under its eye lid! :O Sensing freedom, it started struggling (still hooked), slipping out of the egg, covered in white, pasty gunk.
I got the toe unhooked, and surveyed the damage. The skin around his eyelid was misshapen from being stretched for however long he'd been trapped by his toe. The white gunk? Thankfully just feces, from his extended stay in the egg.
I rinsed the chick off, then popped him back in the bator for some fluffing. Surprisingly, he didn't die! Although when I put him in with the rest of the hatch, it was very apparent that it had taken its toll. He was crow faced from emaciation, the skinniest chick I'd ever seen, and the opposite foot to his goofy eye looked withered, and wasn't displaying the full range of movement. But you know what? He dug right in to the food, cheaping and staggering around.
He's about two weeks old today.
As you can see, his eye is still goofy. He's still the smallest in the batch, but his foot has righted itself, and he continues to act like a normal, happy chick.
I don't actually know sex, but am calling it a he because no good deed goes unpunished. XD I will probably never be able to eat this one, and will hopefully find a pet home in the future.
As I worked around, the smell was really bad... I didn't know what I was going to find and was mentally preparing for a rotten chick that I'd have to put down anyways. Just as I got to the head, I saw the problem... The poor bird had hooked it's toe nail under its eye lid! :O Sensing freedom, it started struggling (still hooked), slipping out of the egg, covered in white, pasty gunk.
I got the toe unhooked, and surveyed the damage. The skin around his eyelid was misshapen from being stretched for however long he'd been trapped by his toe. The white gunk? Thankfully just feces, from his extended stay in the egg.
I rinsed the chick off, then popped him back in the bator for some fluffing. Surprisingly, he didn't die! Although when I put him in with the rest of the hatch, it was very apparent that it had taken its toll. He was crow faced from emaciation, the skinniest chick I'd ever seen, and the opposite foot to his goofy eye looked withered, and wasn't displaying the full range of movement. But you know what? He dug right in to the food, cheaping and staggering around.
He's about two weeks old today.
As you can see, his eye is still goofy. He's still the smallest in the batch, but his foot has righted itself, and he continues to act like a normal, happy chick.
I don't actually know sex, but am calling it a he because no good deed goes unpunished. XD I will probably never be able to eat this one, and will hopefully find a pet home in the future.
