She said/He said Who's right? Who's wrong? No one!

[tgcanes]

thank you Ross….now its understood

 

[rossfam06]

...

Just North of Albuquerque, New Mexico.
[/quote
Awe man too far... Have you check craigslist??

 

[scflock]

Need everyone's thoughts here and please excuse the ignorance….Very much of a rookie here.

But when you see chicks start Pipping (or hatching, whatever terminology one may want to use) why can't we help get them out of the shell - no matter what stage of the hatching process they may be in.  what are the dangers involved or hazards to the chick in helping them break the shell and membrane?

For my purposes, a chick that is too weak to hatch on its own is too weak to be a part of the main flock. Most times, chicks that have difficulty hatching do so because of underlying issues. They may not be healthy, may be bad genetics, etc... I only want the chicks that are strong enough to survive that initial struggle. Even if you are inclined to assist, assisting too early, or doing something wrong could actually disable or kill a chick that could have hatched on its own. Hatching is a long, slow process that operates on its own timeline.

 

[FridayYet]

Also during the hatching process their lungs get used to breathing air and their muscles get used to working.

 

[FridayYet]

Quote: Yes, that's where I found the lady with the broodies. I'll keep checking though, and I have a query out on the NM Facebook poultry swap pages.

 

[BlackwoodHollow]

You might try hard boiled egg soup (hard boiled egg yolk crumbled in sav a chick) but if they were beaten up too much in shipping, there's not much you can do.

Thank you. I will give the others hard boiled egg soup.

Why are they so wet?

What is the temperature and ventilation like in that container? 95F is best to give them the best chance at survival, but they need enough floor area to move to a cooler area.

This is a personal choice but I do not like to start them on bedding so fine. I doubt it is a factor here, but if they lay their faces in it, they can ingest small particles of bedding.

I've not had much success with chicks that look that bad.

I don't know why they looked like that. They weren't wet(except maybe their heads where we had been feeding them water by the dropper full), but they looked like that right out of the box. It was dry and matted, not sticky. They were both on the bottom of the pile and their necks were bent back. That's why we separated them right away. I really put them in that little bucket so I could take the video. We have been holding them most of the day, outside.

Thank you for the good advice. We are going to change the bedding out. Sand was simply what we had on hand. It's been a while since we have had chicks.

Do you think it's cocci???? Have you seen any bloody poop?

There was no bloody poop. Their vents also looked fine.

Sorry to hear you lost one. The chick I almost lost was shaking his head. I was thinking around what walnut said, my chick was so weak that he just stayed right under the heat and got himself dehydrated. Keep trying the sav-a-chick. Stick his beak in and then point his beak up and head back so he can swallow. Maybe a couple drops of poly-sol without iron. I hope he makes it!

Thanks, Ruby. We did that for--wow--about six hours. We eventually gently pried their beaks open and fed them droppers full of water, making sure they were swallowing between drops. Then they stopped swallowing.

It comes from poop. They already have some of the bacteria in side their gut but it can explode in population and make them sick esp if there pens are cleaned out well. Try giving it some probiotics and yogurt.

They are 2 weeks old, do you think it's okay to go ahead and start them on yogurt? We have lots of that organic Greek stuff around here. . .



Thanks for all the help and advice, everyone. Unfortunately, we did lose both of them.

 

[WalnutHill]

Need everyone's thoughts here and please excuse the ignorance….Very much of a rookie here.

But when you see chicks start Pipping (or hatching, whatever terminology one may want to use) why can't we help get them out of the shell - no matter what stage of the hatching process they may be in. what are the dangers involved or hazards to the chick in helping them break the shell and membrane?

Hatching isn't just a matter of breaking free of a shell.

While incubating, the embryo is supported by blood vessels that exchange gases within the air cell inside the shell. Typically the day before hatch, the chick will internally pip, which is to poke its beak into the air cell and begin breathing very warm, very moist air. Since the air is still trapped within the shell, the carbon dioxide within the shell increases as it breathes, and reflex causes the chick to spasm and create the external pip.

At the time the external pip is made, the chick begins the transition to drier, fresher air. Blood vessels begin to recede from the air cell down. Moisture begins to leave the egg more rapidly.

Several hours after pip, the chick will begin zipping. This rotation is caused by muscular contractions, and the chick rotates around the egg. By this time, blood vessels have safely receded (usually) and the chick will normally hatch without issue.

There are several factors which can complicate things. Improper incubation temperature or humidity, improper hatch incubation or humidity, too large a poult, or a weak poult. If interference is necessary, the only reasonably safe time to interfere is several hours after external pip, or when zipping is underway.

It's best in 99.9% of cases to let nature take its course. The other 0.1% is debatable.

 

[silkiecuddles]

GA, when I moved the ducklings I hatched to the brooder, I gave them water with ACV, garlic clove, and clover/oatstraw tea. I also gave them clumps of violets with dirt attached. They made a muddy mess, but they all were very healthy and I have not lost one since.

 

[BlackwoodHollow]

GA, when I moved the ducklings I hatched to the brooder, I gave them water with ACV, garlic clove, and clover/oatstraw tea. I also gave them clumps of violets with dirt attached. They made a muddy mess, but they all were very healthy and I have not lost one since.

Yep, ACV is a staple around here, as well as garlic and fresh greens. I'm right there with you.


Thank you Bantam Brood 17, WV, Ruby, & OMC, for the well wishes. I think things are going well so far.

 

[rossfam06]

Thank you.  I will give the others hard boiled egg soup.


I don't know why they looked like that.  They weren't wet(except maybe their heads where we had been feeding them water by the dropper full), but they looked like that right out of the box. It was dry and matted, not sticky.  They were both on the bottom of the pile and their necks were bent back.  That's why we separated them right away.   I really put them in that little bucket so I could take the video.  We have been holding them most of the day, outside. 

Thank you for the good advice.  We are going to change the bedding out.   Sand was simply what we had on hand.  It's been a while since we have had chicks.
There was no bloody poop.  Their vents also looked fine.

Thanks, Ruby. We did that for--wow--about six hours. We eventually gently pried their beaks open and fed them droppers full of water, making sure they were swallowing between drops.  Then they stopped swallowing.

They are 2 weeks old, do you think it's okay to go ahead and start them on yogurt?  We have lots of that organic Greek stuff around here. . .



Thanks for all the help and advice, everyone.  Unfortunately, we did lose both of them. 

I am so sorry.