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

[FridayYet]

That's true but I slept late this morning so I can't go to sleep yet. And my husband is up messing with his new gun that he just got today and my kids are playing video games and yelling at the tv, lol

Yeah, I guess that would make it hard to sleep!

 

[Ravynscroft]

How flippin cute! The little chipmunk stripes are just adorable.

Personally, I dont think what we have seen as shrink wrapped is really the cause of death. I think its the result, instead. I believe once they die, the membrane stops being pliable, and constricts around the dead chick. Not the reverse. But that's just my theory.
Congrats on the bunch of new babies!!

In the eggtopsies I have done, I have only had two that were truely shrinkwrapped. I knew they were before I eggtopsied because when I candled during a lull in the action on day 20 (after almost all had hatched/pipped) the air cell was so drawn down it looked like over half the shell. They were both silkie eggs and I think it was the egg quality that caused it.

Now, my thoughts on shrink wrapped: I don't believe eggs get shrink wrapped from opening the bator after pips. I do believe that if you don't have adequate humidity and dry air blows across the membranes of a pipped egg that it can cause the membranes to dry out and glue around the chick causing the chick not to be able to finish hatching. I believe it is a much more rare occurance that we are led to believe in hatches that are running with adequate humidity to begin with. Shrink wrapping doesn't happen in seconds. The membrane dries and shrinks as it dries much like leather. I believe this happens over a period of time during incubation due predominately to too low humidity causing extreme dryness and oversized air cells to collapse and shrink wrap the chick.  It is also my belief that many people that cry shrink wrap are mistaken and what they are seeing maybe indeed membrane drying around the chick and gluing it. A true shrink wrap will pull the chick to the bottom of the shell in a ball as it the membranes dry.  And that is my opinion. (Regardless of the latest and greatest "research" - I'm a firm believer that science messes up ALL THE TIME.)

Actually, you're both correct... there was a bunch of research done about shrinkwrapping and what is actual shrinkwrap and what is not... I looked up a lot of info on it and that's one of the reasons I incubate the way I do...
In true shrinkwrap the membrane is pulled entirely away from the shell very far down past where you mark the aircell lines... it will literally be encased in the membrane separately inside the shell...
After death, the membrane naturally dries out as there is no longer circulation of any liquid inside anymore or body heat, thus causing it to be mistaken for shrinkwrapped...
Due to a mess up of myself earlier, I could've shown you a good example of shrinkwrapping if I'd thought to take a pic... :/

 

[meganhundley]

Yeah, I guess that would make it hard to sleep! 

Lol, yeah, it's hard to sleep in my house most nights

 

[meganhundley]

Actually, you're both correct... there was a bunch of research done about shrinkwrapping and what is actual shrinkwrap and what is not... I looked up a lot of info on it and that's one of the reasons I incubate the way I do...
In true shrinkwrap the membrane is pulled entirely away from the shell very far down past where you mark the aircell lines... it will literally be encased in the membrane separately inside the shell...
After death, the membrane naturally dries out as there is no longer circulation of any liquid inside anymore or body heat, thus causing it to be mistaken for shrinkwrapped...
Due to a mess up of myself earlier, I could've shown you a good example of shrinkwrapping if I'd thought to take a pic... :/

I was just getting ready to ask where you were

 

[Ravynscroft]

I was just getting ready to ask where you were

Hands full today... finished the hatch and all were adopted by my amazing Am broody, except the 4 I kept back... going to hand raise the Araucanas and left them a pair of buddies...

Went out to dinner... thought a black cat dived into the road on way home... nope... solid black polecat...

 

[Cockatrice6420]

Looks like I'll be trying out the incubator again in the near future, my drakes have started their end of the bargain, and a duck or two have started playing along too.

 

[meganhundley]

Hands full today... finished the hatch and all were adopted by my amazing Am broody, except the 4 I kept back... going to hand raise the Araucanas and left them a pair of buddies...

Went out to dinner... thought a black cat dived into the road on way home... nope... solid black polecat...

Out of those 2 options I don't know which 1 is worse!!

 

[meganhundley]

Good news about the Icelandic eggs, I found another woman near to where I'm getting the others from that assures me hers are not related to the 1's I'm getting so I may go ahead and get another half dozen or so from her.

 

[meganhundley]

Apparently Northern Va is an Icelandic hot spot.

 

[Ravynscroft]

Out of those 2 options I don't know which 1 is worse!!

Smell dissipates after a while, but guilt hangs around a lot longer...

Good news about the Icelandic eggs, I found another woman near to where I'm getting the others from that assures me hers are not related to the 1's I'm getting so I may go ahead and get another half dozen or so from her.

Great score! I'd get as many as you can (afford/fits in bator/etc) of both groups if you intend to be serious about keeping/breeding them... gives you more to choose from when deciding which to keep... their looks will be all over the map, lol...

Apparently Northern Va is an Icelandic hot spot.

No kidding!