Ready Set Hatch! Set 3/17 Hatch 4/7 - ready now! Hatch-Along

[maryhysong]

Well I candled everything in the bator last night and took out some clears, mostly duck eggs that hadn't developed. Still have about 46 chicken eggs due next week end. I added 33 more duck and chicken eggs for a total of....136!

 

[Wrightsx4]

136 WOW!

 

[Wrightsx4]

Day 14 candle complete. The five clears (aka heat sinks) were removed. At the Day 7 candle there was also a suspicious egg, it had some shape to it but seemed clearer than the developing eggs, but murkier than the clears. We had hopes that it was perhaps in a cold spot and just a bit behind. Was removed this time (pics below). All up we are down to 12 from the 18 we started with. Here are a couple of pictures of the suspicious one we had, both in and out of the shell. Any help as to what this is/caused it would be great thanks. Our clears, 1 Araucana 1 A/Lorp 4 SPW No. 6 Had this shape to it, we thought it may be a shell anomoly. When we cracked it open, it was very runny, not smelly (none were) no bloody but did have a long stringy membrane that I can only assume was the part around the yolk. The other five looked like normal eggs, just warm and a bit 'runnier' no blood or smell so we assume they were just non fertile or very early deaths.

I would not have expected the inside of the egg to look so normal. Looking at the candling pic I figured it was a bacterial accumulation but seeing the insides... it must've just been thin and thick areas of the shell. ?? Strange.

 

[Dylon]

Is it normal to not be able to see through half the egg? I see something moving in there but I have to adjust the egg just so to see anything..

 

[Wrightsx4]

That's excellent Dylon! The dark part you can't see through is the chick, you may see a shadow moving? With a little brighter light it is clearer but it sounds like how they should look at this point.

 

[DURR]

I just found out this little guy has cross beak. I'm at a stand still as what to do. I was supposed to be selling him in a few weeks but now I don't think I need too. The hubby says to cull him but he eats good right now as its not really bad, but I know as he gets older it'll only progress. If I do sell him (or give him away) I know I want him to go to a home that will keep him as a "special needs" chicken. This is my first time dealing with cross beak and I'm not sure what to do.

 

[hokankai]

I had one that did okay until it was 10 weeks old and then let me know it needed to be culled. I wouldn't sell it as you would likely be setting someone up for heartbreak.

 

[Bens-Hens]

I would not have expected the inside of the egg to look so normal. Looking at the candling pic I figured it was a bacterial accumulation but seeing the insides... it must've just been thin and thick areas of the shell. ?? Strange.

We thought it was the shell too, but when we opened it, the shell was normal. Possibly a ruptured yolk. It was all mixed in when we opened it.

Sorry to hear about the little crossed beak bird. I did read a story on here where someone kept one for a long time (well into laying) but it was a special needs. We had a rescue bird for a while that had a bit of a funny beak, but she ate fine and carried good weight. Was not very pronounced though.

 

[Dylon]

If I have one with that beak problem I keep them if they are eating ok.BUT I don't let them hatch their own eggs because I'm not sure if it's genetic

 

[DURR]

If I keep him. ( I think its going to be a cockeral.) He will be seperate from hens as to the genetic senerio I'm not sure it is because his parents don't have it, but then again it could have skipped them. If it is I don't think its the roo carrying the gene because out of 30 babies he's the only one with it so it may be from the hen. It was her only egg at the time when I set. I also have a hen ( EE ) with a VERY VERY slight curve to her bottom beak but her babies came out fine?

This little guy's mama is a McLean Hatch ( american gamefowl ) and his daddy is an EE. Its just so puzzling, I think it could be that he was such a big chick to come out of a "small grade" egg, I had to help him zip because he couldn't move.

Hopefully he'll be fine and not need to be tube fed. Hubby says if it comes down to that he'll either cull him or take him to be euthanised by the vet ( that's if he's too skinny or too young to eat ). I sure hope he'll be fine.

Do you guys think he can live off of starter? Since its so small and he can eat it easily?