I assisted a shrink wrapped chick who seems to be rallying just fine but cannot fluff out as his feathers seem to be coated and all stiff. He had a nice warm washcloth bath last night and I hesitate to bathe him again but I couldn't possibly put him in with the other chicks like this.
I would take a warm wet sponge or towel and gently bath him again. Keep wetting him and stroking his fluff until the gunk comes off. After let him just sit in the incubator. Easier said then done, I know! I can't think of any other way to do it. Maybe others can chime in.
I have given chicks a bath to get the dried ick off by running warm water over the back of the chick and gently with a wash cloth rubbing the ick off then with a nice dry clean cloth dry the chick off as best I can. It may take a couple of baths.
Little warm water goes a long way. Wrap the chick in paper towels then a washcloth to keep warm and help dry, and under a light they go. Ducklings that hatch sticky get this treatment and placed in a red plastic cup under the light. Once they are warm and heads fluffy I let them out in the brooder again.
I'm sorry, I'm new to chicken farming and don't know everything. Can you tell me why you would shrink wrap your eggs? How will the chickens get out? Doesn't the porous surface of the shell need moisture and heat? I'm confused. Please forgive my asking...
ContessKris...believe me, no one intentionally shrink wraps their eggs or chicks.
Sometimes, if there isn't enough humidity during the lockdown (last 3 days at the end of which the chick should hatch) of incubation, the membrane closest to the chick (don't know the technical term for it) is too dry for the chick to break through -- it sticks to the chick. It literally looks as if the chick has been shrink wrapped which is why most people simply use that term.
I've successfully put a chick who had remnants of the shrink wrapping in a little bowl with 99 degree water and given it a bath (no soap). We weren't able to get one piece off it's head...despite numerous rubbings and eventually, about 2 weeks, his fluff grew through it and all is well.
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shrink wrapping refers to the inner membrane stinking onto the chick preventing them from hatching properly. Not applying shrink rap around the outside of the eggs.
