That's it! I'm officially worried!!

[malkered]

Thank you.

 

[yellowherb]

Is this your only chick right now? When you remove it from the incubator to a brooder I would highly recommend you do a forum search for mama heating pad( MHP ). I had a solitary quail chick hatch and it was stressed to be alone. We made it a mama heating pad and it quieted down and made for a much happier chick.

Everyone has a bit of bad luck occasionally, please do not beat yourself up about it or feel too terrible. I had a externally piped egg which one of the hatched chicks threw a bit of the gunk/poo from the bottom of it's egg on to. Sealed the pip and the chick died Stuff happens, it's unfortunate but there's only so much we can do to prevent deaths. Many, many chicks make it right up to hatch and die for whatever reason before they can get out of the shell. Good luck with Lucky!

 

[malkered]

Thank you.

I have another egg from the same clutch which I suspect won't hatch.

I have a single Araucana egg, the only viable egg of 3 which is at day 21 today, so I'm hopeful.

I have another 2 RIR eggs and two Araucana eggs which go into 'lockdown' tomorrow evening.

I was hoping to put any sucessful chicks in together.

 

[yellowherb]

It may be possible since all will be of similar age and the single chick Lucky will be ecstatic to have companions. I'd still recommend the MHP Makes for happy and friendlier chicks. No lights to stress them out. Mine come to visit every time I pull the lid off their brooder bin, they race out from MHP so happy to see me. I've never had any of my former hatches that happy for a visit from the BIG hands. If you see Lucky on it's tiptoes peeing very loudly, it's calling for mother hen and rest of flock. MHP makes the chick think it's under a hen for some reason. Strange but it works!

 

[AmyLynn2374]

I've told you before, I don't do what you do, but I respect your results

Ditto.

I am totally gutted, especially if I contributed for it's demise. I started off in this chicken game because I rescued a badly treated hen and have since bought one and rescued another two.
Now I've managed to help kill one before it even had a chance.

HOWEVER - This egg had been incubating for 23 days, I've carefully removed the dead chick from its broken shell and, unlike it's sibling who hatched today, perfectly formed, having incubated for the same period it wasn't as well developed, it's eyes were sealed shut and it hadn't taken in the yolk completely. The chick never peeped.

BUT - there was movement and if I hadn't touched the egg it may have finished developing after another couple of days.

CONCLUSION - I'm a hamfisted IDIOT who clearly has a lot to learn about chickens and I've certainly learned a lot today.

Don't knock yourself so hard. Something was wrong for the chick to be so far behind schedule. That in itself puts the chick at a disadvantage going into life. Quite likely it would not have hatched on its own, or would have been weak or damaged and died later or even worse, required you to take its life to relieve suffering. Some things are not meant to be, and some are meant to learn by.

You're not an idiot, and it gets better. After 23 days, I don't want anything to hatch. The ones that take that long invariably have problems. What you need to focus on for your next hatch is why they didn't hatch until day 23. Sounds like a temperature problem. It's never easy to lose them, but with each hatch you learn from your mistakes, the first hatch just happens to be the worst. Hang around the forum, join some threads, and ask people to help you figure out what went wrong. I have learned tons on BYC

I agree with walnut and sc. My very first hatch produced 2 late hatchers, one at day 24 and one at 25. (Bad thermometer.) The day 25 hatcher died within the first 24 hours. The other lived and he was babied of course being an only chick. He seemed perfectly normal but as he got bigger and filled out physically I could tell he did have issues, especially balance. I've recently discovered the physical reason. (I had already contributed it to his delayed development.) He has a leg that is slightly turned in. Very hard to notice. Because of this he can not roost. He can not defend himself (he'll try if he's challenged, but he's no longer allowed around the other roos.) He'll never be a coop bird, even though I think he's a beautiful bird, he'll never be a breeder, (doubt he could accomplish the feat anyway.) He'll always be special needs. I would not throw out an egg knowing there's still life in it, but sometimes I think that in cases of delayed hatches it may be better when they don't hatch.

Thank you.

I have another egg from the same clutch which I suspect won't hatch.

I have a single Araucana egg, the only viable egg of 3 which is at day 21 today, so I'm hopeful.

I have another 2 RIR eggs and two Araucana eggs which go into 'lockdown' tomorrow evening.

I was hoping to put any sucessful chicks in together.

 

[malkered]

Well. I've carried out the ceremonial disposal of the dead chick and cleaned up no2 incubator for further use.

Lucky survived the night, is fluffing up nicely and is quite vocal. She/he is still falling asleep on her feet and waking up with a start so I hope that is normal.

He/she is still in the incubator and we've resisted all urges to pick her/him up.

I read somewhere that you can sex a RIR as a chick as a male will have a white dot above its wings, is this correct?

 

[Teila]

Howdy malkered

I agree with all the others comments … please do not beat yourself up about the little one you lost.

Some we lose if we don’t help and others we lose if we do; but either way, we lose them.

As FridayYet suggested, it may not have hatched on its own anyway and all your intentions were good and decisions made with love.

I have never hatched in an incubator and only with broodies. I have a no touch, no candling, que sera sera policy and have had little ones who have got as far as pipping and not made it … while it is so very sad, had I pushed mumma off the nest every 5mins to check, I could have lost them and others. Sometimes they are just too weak to take that final step.

You mention the egg had been incubating for 23 days and had you not touched it and left it for another couple of days it may have hatched … at 23 days + 2, any of my broody hens would have given up on it and gone off to concentrate on the little ones she had.

Just trying to say that left to nature, that little one probably would not have made it anyway.

Congratulations on your surving little one though … absolutely adorable!

That (s)he has some company very soon.

 

[AmyLynn2374]

Lucky survived the night, is fluffing up nicely and is quite vocal. She/he is still falling asleep on her feet and waking up with a start so I hope that is normal.

I read somewhere that you can sex a RIR as a chick as a male will have a white dot above its wings, is this correct?

Yes, that is perfectly normal. Once you get her in the brooder, don't be surprised when you go in to check on her and see her face planted on the floor with a leg stretched out and looking dead. I think this sleep method has given us all a heart atack the first time we've experienced it...lol Chicks will sleep in the weirdest positions. They will also be running around energetic and boom stop and go to sleep, or vice versa, look like they are falling asleep and then jerk themself awake.

Yes, certain sexes can be determined at birth and I believe RIR are sex linked, I just can't tell you how to tell....lol I know certain breeds they go by the dot on the head.

 

[Toddrick]

RIR are not sex linked. There is no rule against touching incubated hatchlings that I'm aware of. Mine loved the warmth of my hands and for the first week or so would go instantly to sleep in my hands. Since it is already day 25(?) I would get that chick in the brooder with a heat lamp and feed/water nearby. I don't know if a chick that hatches days late can last days more without food/water like one that hatches on time, and I don't see any reason to keep him in the incubator if you aren't waiting on others to hatch.

 

[AmyLynn2374]

RIR are not sex linked. There is no rule against touching incubated hatchlings that I'm aware of. Mine loved the warmth of my hands and for the first week or so would go instantly to sleep in my hands. Since it is already day 25(?) I would get that chick in the brooder with a heat lamp and feed/water nearby. I don't know if a chick that hatches days late can last days more without food/water like one that hatches on time, and I don't see any reason to keep him in the incubator if you aren't waiting on others to hatch.

SC wants to smack me...lol RIR aren't one of them....hey, I said I wasn't sure...lol All mine are barnyard or not sexlinked....lol

I'm against leaving chicks in the bator to begin with, but I'd be even more determined not to with later hatchers.