Skinless hatchlings

[ChickeeVan]

Long time looker, mid time chicken man, first time poster. Had my flock for a year, very good producers (they have almost kept up with my 19 year old bodybuilder son's egg appitite, I once in a great while have enough for a quech), been easy to take care of and good around group of ladies. 5 Leggers, 5 New Ham Reds w/ 1 NHR rooster and one mix we have not yet determined if hen or cock.

Here's where I need help. We allowed one hen to try and hatch a clutch (that the other ladies have also laid in) and we took all but 4 out. She hatched 1 of 4 and baby is doing very well today, seems very healthly, just starting to grow comb and a good flock member, but a little shy. Well, mama hen started to go broodie again three weeks or so ago, so we let her go with 4 again, as she did a good job first time. Eggs hatched yesterday (son was feeding and cleaning coop and acturally got to see hatching of one). Here's where everything has gone wrong. Two of the eggs hatched and the chicks were missing skin, not feathers, but skin! Looked like acid had dropped on the chick and eaten it down to flesh in two spots. This is at hatching, not afterwards which I would have blamed on mice maybe. This FREAKED us out! One spot on side of head, same side of body and missing an entire wing, was alive and walking, but looked like a zombie and seemed in pain. This may be wrong so please don't flame me, but I put it out of its misery and removed it from coop as I was scared whatever it had may have been contagious and didn't know what else to do. Second chick was found dead last night and looked nice and yellow until I picked it up and saw the belly, same thing, red, raw and looking at flesh.

Could this have been due to lack of turning the eggs? We let the girl have at it as she did such a good job with Weezy (her first chick's name, my daughter named it after some rapper or something, it does not weeze). Is this something I should disinfect/burn/remove the coop/bedding other than the weekly cleanout and new shavings? Have feed/water checked out? Remove entire flock and call EPA over? Or is this just one of those things that happens?

Thanks ahead of time for reading and if you have any advice, I'd appreciate it.

 

[MustLoveHens]

First off..

! I like the name Weezy for a chicken....very clever!

Ok, I can help with some of your questions. The yellow chick with the belly issue that is called a prolapse. This is the site where the yolk is abosrbed by the chick. I had a quail hatch this year that did the same thing. Basically had to euthanise it. Prolapses can be an incuabation issue but since you had a hen preforming the incubation so most likely was not a factor.

I honestly have never heard of the missing skin/wing issue. My first thought is either a birth defect or genectic problem. Usually chicks that are either to inbreed or that have severe genetic problems do not hatch. But sometimes they do.

Contamination from something could be a possiblity, but I believe that you would see some odd or wierd signs in the other birds. IMO, I don't believe that that is an issue here.

I would clean the coop, it never causes harm to clean and it will make you fell better about the situation. Trash the bedding and disinfect your coop. Disinfect your wateres and feeders as well.
I use a product/disinfectant called Chlorhexidine Solution. It is a blue liquid and works great. It can be expensive depending on where you find it, but a little goes a long way. Just follow that label and you'll be ok. There are also other poultry/avain disinfectants that you can get on line.

It was very kind of you to end the suffering of that little zombie chick. It is a part of chicken ownership that is not easy to do but there are times you have to ease their suffering.

 

[Mahonri]

Had you medicated your flock in any way prior to her going broody?

Sprayed for lice, given worming meds, etc, etc?

 

[ChickeeVan]

Thanks for the replies. First, she hatched her last egg later on that night, chick looks GREAT!!!

Very active and doing his/her thing with mama, so it must have been just one of those things that happens.

As for meds/sprays/etc, no, I had not done anything like that within last 3 months, other than clean the chickee van every week, new shavings and clean feeders/waters with chlorine solution. Yes, I made their coop from an old cargo van, keeping feed/supplies in driver's area and walled off rear for the chickens and built roost and nesting boxes. Already had the van with blown engien and bad trans and selling for junk would not have made enough to buy coop materials, so the van is the coop. Cut hole in rear door, built ramp and they seem to like it. When/if we get finished with chickens, THEN the junk man can come for the van.

 

[lockedhearts]

Quote:
Neat Idea on the van! I would say it is likely just "one of those things" , since the one chick is doing well, I would not worry too much about it. As far as turning eggs under a broody, they take care of that part too. Hopefully all your future hatched will be fine.