Umbilical cord?

[TJAnonymous]

I have a 3 day old chick that I hatched from an incubator. The umbilical cord is still attached and just dangling between his/her legs. Will it fall off on its own?

 

[CaliFarmsAR]

Yes, it will. I had a duckling last year and he had one for a while but it eventually fell off.

 

[Alaskan]

If it is dry, (FULLY dry, no blood) you might want to snip it shorter with a very well cleaned pair of scissors.

Otherwise the chick might pull on it and damage itself.

 

[TJAnonymous]

If it is dry, (FULLY dry, no blood) you might want to snip it shorter with a very well cleaned pair of scissors.

Otherwise the chick might pull on it and damage itself.

That is my primary concern....he/she seems to be stepping on it from time to time. It does look dry, no blood, etc...

 

[Alaskan]

That is my primary concern....he/she seems to be stepping on it from time to time. It does look dry, no blood, etc...

Yes... it can happen...

It usually breaks off at a shorter more manageable length when they hatch... then fully dry and completely fall off later...

But not always.

As long as it is dry, no blood, it is safe to cut shorter.