September Hatch-A-Long!

[chickydee64]

I am sorry to and hate if this happens to a chick of mine but it has......
It is one reason I am not quick to help a chick hatching. About 1/2 of the ones I have helped has had some kind of problem.
I have kind of a ritual..............I use a zip lock bag, vinegar and baking soda.................
I always wrap them in something soft.to make me feel better...............hold them ,say a prayer, kiss their head then put them in the bag.
I don't measure.just a little soda in a small container , then I add the vinegar...........
Man, I hate this part but have had babies that had their insides out or legs so bad they are beyond help.
Some times I wait a few days to see if they pass on their own..................

 

[DeannaA]

Oh goodness, I am dealing with the 2nd to the last chick that hatched who has severe curly toes and her feet roll onto the outsides if she tries to walk. I've gone through 4 pairs of shoes already and she keeps twisting right out. Right now her feet are taped to the tops of those glass half marble things like little goth boots...

She is sitting in a roll of duct tape with sand paper under it for traction. I have been syringe feeding her sugar and vitamin water and yolk water. She is angry as can be and cussing up a storm in there.

I have 2 Mille Fleur D'uccles that all hatched with the last toes curled under a bit. I have decided to leave it. I have seen a lot of chickens with crooked toes. It doesn't seem to bother the chicks. And it might straighten out on it's own, I hope. Good luck with your chick. They can be fiesty. I love those kinds of chicks.

Are you giving it electrolytes? Maybe it should be under the heat lamp in it's own little section where the other chicks can't get to him. If he's getting VERY bad, I would cull him. I wasn't fond of the idea of culling until I saw someone write: It isn't about you, it's about the animal's well being. Not putting it out of it's misery for the sake of your own feelings is selfish.

It really opened my eyes.

The hardest part is deciding if it's temporary pain or serious. I don't want to be put down for a twisted ankle. But some people don't have the time to take care of a single injured chick. I don't have a farm, so I do. Sometimes it's about being practical as well. I am on my own and retired. I have the luxury of not being practical. I wish I could take in everyones sick and injured and give them back when healthy.

I know in this case it would be right but I can't do it!

I really don't think it could ever walk...

yes I tried to give it some but it's pretty new and wouldn't really take any...it hardly opens it's eyes and sleeps a lot...

I've had babies die for no apparent reason, I've had them hatch then wane and die...I've never had one hatch deformed!

I have a chick with a bad leg. It had a bit of pain for a couple of days. I gave it mobic (my dog's). Seemed fine unless I messed with the leg. Now he hops every where no pain. He is one of my favorites, Jack. At first I was afraid I'd have to cull him (not sure if I could do it) but my friend that grew up with chickens said her grandmother had a one legged chicken. No one even noticed for a year. I have decided I will have a gimpy area. I won't keep one that is in severe or long term pain. So far I have been lucky. Sorry you have to make such a difficult decision.

 

[naightengale]

ok so after this mornings temp scare i went ahead and recandled everyone who wasnt in lock down and they are all still alive!! and that bator dropped to 86..

and most of mondays hatch are rocking around like mad so hopefully no harm was done.. all this rocking and no peeping is driving me bonkers. my kids have been peeping at the eggs all day trying to get them to hatch before they go to school monday lol

 

[familypendragon]

I had to cull one on my very first hatch Its head was severely deformed with one eye and severe cross beak. I did the scissors in a baggie with a paper towel as I was advised by some long time hatchers. They said it was the fastest - hardest for me, easiest for the chick. They were right. It was hard, I cried, but the chick was gone instantly. I hope I don't have to do it again, but I am sure I will - especially with my malposition issues. I am hoping Dorothy my curly toed chicken with magic shoes will make it. They are so severe that her entire toes curl under and sideways at right angles and she ends up walking on the outside of her ankles. I can't keep any implements on her and its so severe that no matter how hard I try her toes slip back into the wrong position again. Her ankles also don't want to bend and she wants to walk like a ballerina in toe shoes. My latest malposition assist adventure is ongoing. She is just sleeping and chirping and absorbing as she should. Hope she makes it. Its another Yellow colored chick that is a cross between my blue marans and theoretically my lavender ameraucana. They free range - but those two are going steady Her name is Mae West and his name is Olivier.

 

[familypendragon]

This is the chick I've been assisting all day. Her name is Treasure and I think she is going to make it. She just kicked her foot out a second ago and when I took the picture she cussed me out for the flash and waved her wing at me. I have a feeling she will decide to get out of the little bit of membrane and shell that is left pretty soon because she is talking up a storm now. I named her Treasure because the odds of finding her buried in her shell still alive with her head between her thighs, feet over her head and beak in the small end pointed directly at the vein mass... well its about like finding buried treasure

 

[chirpingcricket]

The first 24 hours is a day! Mine started at 7:45 AM, so my days are 7:30 am to 7:30 am. Good luck and be sure to post pics!!

Mine go into lockdown on Saturday. I'm just excited. It's finally getting closer! This is my first hatch. By Tuesday, I'll be worried like everyone else around here, I'm sure!

Ohhhhh the decisions that had to be made along the way! I'm gonna write a post about all this one day! 

I LOVE this site. I just can not get bored here, there is so much to read, so many pictures to look at! I don't even wanna go to bed. If my husband only knew the ideas brewing in my head right now! lol!  

Ditto!

 

[chirpingcricket]

Yes it is this nerve wracking. We humans  so attached . Yester day I had the third of my precious Dutch blues hatch. They are so tiny that the bantam Japanese look quite large in comparison. My little Japanese are addicting enough. Now it is the blue Dutch bantams  .

I collected 9 eggs from my little Japanese yesterday and I don't really want to hatch them out but I can't bring myself to eat the eggs either. I guess I am just too soft to do this. May be I will just stop and separate them and find them new homes ,...when pigs fly!

I purchased a new Cabinet incubator yesterday with a four hundred egg capacity .It is quite large and comes up to my chest. ......................... So much for quitting.

Woweee!!! I want!!!! Amazing, good for you! Me next, me next! Chirp

 

[familypendragon]

Woweee!!! I want!!!! Amazing, good for you! Me next, me next! Chirp

Me too!

 

[DeannaA]

This is the chick I've been assisting all day. Her name is Treasure and I think she is going to make it. She just kicked her foot out a second ago and when I took the picture she cussed me out for the flash and waved her wing at me. I have a feeling she will decide to get out of the little bit of membrane and shell that is left pretty soon because she is talking up a storm now. I named her Treasure because the odds of finding her buried in her shell still alive with her head between her thighs, feet over her head and beak in the small end pointed directly at the vein mass... well its about like finding buried treasure

It's hard to decided when to help. I had so many die because they were upside down, dried membrane or goo from another chick resealed the egg. But then I've had most assisted chicks die. I have figured out a middle ground and has been working much better. I only help in small increments. But I don't take a chick out of the egg. I might help it zip half way or remove dry membrane but I don't remove the chick. I swear there is something about the chick getting out on it's own that makes a difference, even when I've done most of the work.


Today I saved a healthy chick. It somehow zipped the small end while its head was at the large end and it's butt couldn't fit out the small zipped end. I made the hole a little bigger but I left the chick inside and let it finish on it's own. The grey one tried to hatch butt first. Would that be a breach hatch?

 

[dvoice]

I had to cull one on my very first hatch

Its head was severely deformed with one eye and severe cross beak. I did the scissors in a baggie with a paper towel as I was advised by some long time hatchers. They said it was the fastest - hardest for me, easiest for the chick. They were right. It was hard, I cried, but the chick was gone instantly. I hope I don't have to do it again, but I am sure I will - especially with my malposition issues. I am hoping Dorothy my curly toed chicken with magic shoes will make it. They are so severe that her entire toes curl under and sideways at right angles and she ends up walking on the outside of her ankles. I can't keep any implements on her and its so severe that no matter how hard I try her toes slip back into the wrong position again. Her ankles also don't want to bend and she wants to walk like a ballerina in toe shoes. My latest malposition assist adventure is ongoing. She is just sleeping and chirping and absorbing as she should. Hope she makes it. Its another Yellow colored chick that is a cross between my blue marans and theoretically my lavender ameraucana. They free range - but those two are going steady

Her name is Mae West and his name is Olivier.

I had to cull my 1 chick that hatched today. I read about something similar to pliers being used so I got a pair of mine and used those. It was a little difficult but I grew up on the farm and when we culled for meat my dad just chopped their heads a quick squeeze and hold with the pliers worked although the poor 2 week old did have the spasms that lasted about 15 secs.. felt sorry for the little guy but after 5 days in the brooder one of his legs was twisted around the opposite direction and he couldn't stand, his other leg was giving out as well.