so stressed!

[hotmessJess]

This hatch, I've had 3 out of 7 eggs develop upside-down! One of them I lost because I thought I could see a break beak in the air sac, but it was a foot!

So in panic, I removed the air cell area on this egg and hit a blood vessel! But did discover it was also upside-down! I couldn't find her beak so I did my best to make a pocket in the membrane where there were no blood vessels. Last night, it had pipped the wrong side, and a blood vessel. That's pretty lucky considering its beak is under its right leg! And all its vessels aren't dried out yet! So I'm so panicked because that THREE vessels hit and I'm not sure how that will affect it!

My incubator that these came from tempted 38C the entire time (used an aquarium thermometer to double check. Eggs were turned every two hours. What did I do wrong? I'm new to manual incubation. Was it a breed issue? Two of the chicks were pretty large for their eggs, but the one that died had a decent sized egg to body ratio. I did notice a drastic change in air cell depth from day 14 to 18 as you can see in the second picture

 

[hotmessJess]

 

[silkienrescues]

This hatch, I've had 3 out of 7 eggs develop upside-down! One of them I lost because I thought I could see a break beak in the air sac, but it was a foot!

So in panic, I removed the air cell area on this egg and hit a blood vessel! But did discover it was also upside-down! I couldn't find her beak so I did my best to make a pocket in the membrane where there were no blood vessels. Last night, it had pipped the wrong side, and a blood vessel. That's pretty lucky considering its beak is under its right leg! And all its vessels aren't dried out yet! So I'm so panicked because that THREE vessels hit and I'm not sure how that will affect it!

My incubator that these came from tempted 38C the entire time (used an aquarium thermometer to double check. Eggs were turned every two hours. What did I do wrong? I'm new to manual incubation. Was it a breed issue? Two of the chicks were pretty large for their eggs, but the one that died had a decent sized egg to body ratio. I did notice a drastic change in air cell depth from day 14 to 18 as you can see in the second picture

oh Jess,

Sorry no one has written anything to help, I guess by now things have played themselves out. looks like you have read about assisting hatches. I have no idea on upside down chicks, but hope someone can help. The 3 vessels well I guess it depends on how much blood was lost, but I suggest the electrolyte and vitamin mix to help strengthen it if it did hatch. In the USA its called savachick (?sp). Keep it warm, and away from the others where it can rest.

good luck,
Lea

 

[sumi]

I'm so sorry to hear about your hatch problems! There are few things as disheartening after waiting so long for the chicks. I've put together two troubleshooting guides on hatch failures, including one on malpositions (and deformities), that may help you figure out what happened here.

Quote:
Read more:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/...malpositions-and-deformities-in-chick-embryos

https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/egg-failure-to-hatch-diagnosing-incubation-problems

For when assisting a malpositioned chick hatch, this is incredibly helpful:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/step-by-step-guide-to-assisted-hatching

 

[hotmessJess]

Thanks for the info! I guess I have to pinpoint which one of these things is giving me trouble. I've decided not to set anymore of my chicken's eggs until I can get a hold on the problem.

She hatched last night, feisty and chirping, but it was so stressful worrying. I know the realities that some just die, but I'm one of those crazies that talks to the eggs and names them as soon as I see blood vessels!

The eggs are hatched on their side in a forced air incubator that turns the eggs every two hours, it stays at 38C (aquarium thermometer confirmed), at between 30-40% humidity per hygrometer, then moved to 60+% humidity at hatching.

I'm really hoping it's just my mutant chicks and not my methods because I have 9 Sicilian buttercups I intend to set today!

Thank you both for the advice and suggestions!

 

[kuchchicks]

You sound like you have everything set correctly. I know it is stressful when you are first starting out on your hatches. We all have had good and bad hatches and chicks that have not been positioned correctly. Sometimes you can do everything right and still things can go wrong. I use to be a labor and delivery nurse and I equate hatches to those experiences. As a pregnant mom you can do everything correctly for your pregnancy, you can go into labor just fine, and sometimes for no apparent reason delivery just goes wrong. Babies and chicks a like die before birth, sometimes we never know why; both are some times breech when others are positioned just perfectly. Sometimes there is NOTHING that you have done wrong and everything goes wrong anyway. Keep your chin up, shake it off, you got this!

 

[hotmessJess]

That's funny you should compare the two because I've been telling everyone that I had to perform two egg cesareans! Haha

I just set 9 Sicilian buttercups today, so I'm just hoping it was a fluke. I did lose a few this week in a different incubator at a little less than halfway, but that's because that particular incubator was hotter than the thermometer was reading and I guess I cooked them! two survived, but it was two days between checking (we were out of town when it happened... my luck), so we'll see what kind of trouble they'll give me!

I'm such a hatchaholic already, but boy is it nerve racking!