Setting eggs today...20th May...anyone else?

[ashem0]

He/she needs a bath - didn't fluff up right. Two more toes behind the 3 you can see here. But appears to be walking ok at the moment. She's in the brooder and finally settled down against a fluffy 'Sugar-Glider' under the heater, so I don't want to disturb her. But will take more pics tonight when hubby's home to hold her (I need 2 people for that I think!)

Any thoughts on what to do about the other 2? I suspect their beaks are no where near the air-sac. And no movement for over 24hrs now.

 

[Amykins]

I hope they make it, if only so that you can give your chick a genuine "high-5"!

 

[Alaskan]

Hi everyone,

I have a baby chick! Assisted out around 11pm here last night (midday next day here now).

Completely black – looking more like an Australorp than an Isa brown! But with all the hiccups I’ve had with this fellows eggs, nothing would surprise me now.

One other has died. So I have 2 left now and of course my Marans. 

I am glad I assisted it out – it didn’t look to be in the right position. Most likely because I kept turning them, not realising they were due to hatch shortly! Because of this, I’m now worried about the other 2, which I’ve not had any movement from in over 24hrs. What to do??

My little black chickie is quite robust, despite my interference! Though I think it has one toe too many on each foot! It is in the brooder box now and would not stop cheeping so we put a soft toy under the brooder/heater with it and it stopped immediately! Needed some company under there apparently! And something to snuggle against, being on its own.

I am thinking they are probably dead.

But....in case they are still there...I would be tempted to crack the shell a bit and see where the beak is. If the chick is still alive, just weak from being malpositioned, you can super gently remove enough membrane from around the beak so that it can breath, then wrap in a damp paper towel, and let it work itself the rest of the way out.

Sometimes there is still a thick network of blood vessels, in which case you want to work slowly, just make sure the chick can breath, then let it alone for a bit and see how things go.

 

[loopy12]

Ashem, candle them, look for where the beak is. They normally rest for around 12 hours after piercing the air sack before externally pipping. If not movement at all you've probably lost them , otherwise make a tiny hole in the aircell and take it from there.
Congrats on the chick though!

Amy: some of my chicks I can't see the embryo, but I can see the blood vessels twitch so I know its there, just out of sight. Don't give up hope yet. I used to have a 100% fertility with my pekin ducks and hatched 69 out of 70 eggs that I set from them (over a period of months, one was a quitter). Hope your embryo is just shy...

 

[ashem0]

Alaskan and Loopy12,

Glad you people are on the other end of this thread!

I actually did exactly as you recommended Alaskan - I was feeling rather bad about it though, because it did not end nicely... and just now I read your post and thought well, obviously others would have done exactly as I did, so I don't feel so bad now.

Basically I pierced the airsac - nothing... pierced the white membrane - leaving the inner membrane intact. I could physically see the yolk (lots of it - runny too not in a bolus) & pulsing vessels around a very thick inner membrane. No head nor beak visible. It was fully formed and feathered and still alive. I placed it back in the bator with some moist muslin laying lightly over the top. ( I had only opened the top 1/4 of shell) I kept moistening this throughout the day. But it was dawning on me how much work this chick was going to be... like having a chicky ICU! Clearly this chick was no where near ready to hatch and if I'd left well-enough alone it would still be happily cooking in its shell...but I had no idea of its due date.

Anyway, I decided to cull it - the main reason being it was starting to smell - and likely would have developed a bacterial infection of some sort associated with the yolk/wound. I believe it was around 18 days - late stage but no where near ready to hatch.

I'm finding it hard not to get cranky at the bloke who gave me the eggs; If he'd just been straight with me and told me how long they'd been in his incubator correctly, I would not have been tempted to do this. It's as if this breeder added a new egg to his bator each day and I got one of each all at different stages! And what breeder doesn't know the date of when they start a new batch of eggs??? Crazy!

Long and short of it is, I've learnt the hard way. I still have one egg in there. And in a way, it's kind of blessing that this has happened before those precious Marans are ready to hatch. They were $$$

 

[ashem0]

So, my kiddies have named the 'survivor'; "disco".

I think he deserves "Rambo" for what I put him through!

 

[Alaskan]

Oh, ahem! You poor dear!


What a horrid thing!

I never would have thought that that egg would been so far behind the others, especially since it was wiggling etc.!!!

OK...focus on the good!

You have one good cute adorable healthy chick....and really that is all the kids need.

In some ways, the single chick will be even more fun, since it will be forced to bond with you and the kids, it will become much more friendly!

Focus on..... Super cute fuzzy, remember we would have made the exact same mistakes...and think happy!

Big hugs!

 

[loopy12]

Oh Ashem, that sucks. Clearly the breeder doesn't know what he's doing. It does sound like he's been adding them to his incubator as they were laid. he could at least have written the date on them. Sigh.
Was that the last one? I thought there were two left of the ISAs? I think (be clear this isn't a criticism) I would've candled it, and if the beak wasn't in the air cell I would've left it. Its all a learning curve...and you really got thrown in the deep end.
Still, back to the Marans...and a gentle stately learning curve for the next two weeks
I think Disco will turn into an adoring lap chicken with all that undivided attention

 

[brairgirl]

We have 3 hens that are laying on eggs.. Set to hatch around June 11th-13th.

 

[comptonsgonecountry]

loopy12: Yikes, sorry to hear about the eggs that were tossed from not being fertile. Cheers to a happy hatch with the rest of your bator crew! I love reading threw hatch alongs!

Today is the eggs 10 day mark in my bator. I candled yesterday, day 9, because I just could not wait until today. Sigh, I'm just glad I have a fulltime job for the sake of the eggs I incubate. Otherwise I would be home checking on them every hour or so. Out of the 2 1/2 dozen, I'm down to 2 dozen after throwing non developed eggs out. The 6 I threw out were from 8 banty eggs I pulled out of the fridge. But, I do have two fridge eggs with bouncing chicks growing. Who would have thunked?

ashem0: We have 17 chickens running around our yard. I incubate to supply our flock since we free range. I also incubate for others. Right now I have eggs in the bator for a friend who wants to start her own flock. I will be cranking up my second bator this week to add eggs for a fellow farmer up the road from me. She had a coon kill two of her laying hens

. Darn predators have been bad this year. The circle of life can be a 'you know what'.

Can't wait to see pics!