Sticky Chicks

VirulentVulpine

Songster
Aug 4, 2019
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205
146
I had a good hatch today. 7 perfectly fine chicks... but 3 of my chicks that hatched today are sticky and lost most of their feathers on their back. The skin looks red and irritated, and they still have bits of membrane stuck to them like cement. All they are doing is crying in pain, is there anything I can do? Would some olive oil or Vaseline applied to them help at all? :(
 
You can clean them up a bit with some warm water. Just make sure to dry them really well when you're done. Blow dryer on low, and then back under the heat lamp! :D Any pics of the new babies?

Here are some of the new babies that hatched fine!
70D9FE00-8B87-419B-95A0-561D2542301D.jpeg
 
Here is an example of what the sticky chicks are dealing with. I gently washed them off with warm water and cotton swabs and put them back in the bator but they are still screaming loudly in pain, it’s terrible.
 

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I put a little dollop of Vaseline on their exposed and angry backs, it’s stopped their incessant screams of pain but they are still chirping (just not nearly as loud or frantic as before).

I think the only option may be to just let them dry and ride it out... Poor things. I have no idea why everyone else hatched fine but these guys got so severely stickied.
 
Are they within the first 24 hours? You can leave them in the incubator for at least that long. Can they hear the chicks that are out of the incubator? How long did it take for the other chicks to dry out? I have only had one hatch of one chick, so I'm not the expert here, but my one little chick cried until she was dry and out of the incubator. She could hear flock mates and wanted to be with them. In fact, when she couldn't even keep her footing, she would stand on her tippy toes staring up through the glass at me crying until she fell over. So, if I have the picture right, I think they'll be fine as soon as they dry. Not sure why the membrane stuck to them, but you seem to have gotten it off. Praying for the best for these little ones.
 
The chicks are within the first 24 hours. No others are outside the incubator.

Something is wrong with them. Their skin is red and hot to the touch. All of the ones with the missing feathers and red skin on their backs are having lethargy and issues balancing or walking. The worst one is not even able to stand up, he is currently laying down unresponsive and I think he will soon pass away. :hit

Does anybody know what could’ve gone wrong? Can being sticky do this to them?
 
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I’m not sure what to do to help them. I’ve added some save a chick to their water to see if it helps, but one is so bad that he can’t stand up. He lays on one side and struggles to stand but it’s almost like one of his legs is paralyzed, so he flops around and can’t stand. I think I may have to euthanize him. :(

Last hatch failed because of too high humidity during the incubation period. Per suggestion I did a dry hatch this time and kept the humidity at 40% until lockdown. With how sick these chicks are I’m wondering if they got a disease or infection. :confused:
 

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