Unexpected hatch. Chick rubbed raw on turner.

[Redhead Rae]

The chick is doing great! Especially considering it has been without a heat source since I moved it down to the brooder. My SIL discovered the heater plate was off this afternoon when she heard the second chick peeping its head off (I’m so high pitched deaf that I can’t hear little chicks peeping unless they are right next to my head). I had moved the older chicks out of it less than 10 min before I moved this down two nights ago. So I assumed the plate was on. Apparently, someone unplugged it because the 3 week old chicks didn’t need it anymore and we wanted to harden them up a bit before putting them out in the coop. So this little chick was without a heat source for over 40 hours. The second chick was without for about 16. I’m glad it has been warm-ish. The blistered chick is even more lively then before and the second chick has perked up and started eating. I even moved a 3rd baby that hatched today downstairs after the heating plate warmed up. There is a 4th baby that has pipped as well. I still have 4 eggs in the incubator but only really have hope for 2 of them.

Speaking of the blistered chick, all the water in the blister has reabsorbed and the skin is still flexible and soft. I’ll keep a watch to make sure I don’t need to use coconut oil on it to keep it soft.

 

[Redhead Rae]

The chick is doing great! The liveliest of the 5 that hatched. The skin is still loose but the fluid is gone. I'm considering moving them out to the outdoor coop sometime this week.

 

[Redhead Rae]

The blister chick (now a confirmed pullet) is doing alright, but isn't really growing and she doesn't tolerate cool temps very well. I tried taking the heater plate away from them and she started walking around all puffed up and looked very ill until I gave it back. When she has heat, she keeps up with her hatch mates. I'm considering keeping her inside with the littles until she gets a little more feathered out.

She is 5 days shy of a month old, and she is only twice the size of this 3 day old.

This is her next to one of her hatch mates. She weighs about 1/4th what the other does (though I don't have exact weights).

Her blister seems the same as ever.

 

[FlyingNunFarm]

So strange. Is the blister soft or did it dry up?
I'd be tempted to trim it off if it's all dried up. But that's a total judgment call.

 

[Redhead Rae]

So strange. Is the blister soft or did it dry up?
I'd be tempted to trim it off if it's all dried up. But that's a total judgment call.

Still very soft. I'm tempted to just leave it until the chick starts growing feathers under there.

 

[FlyingNunFarm]

Still soft I would leave it too.

 

[WVduckchick]

Beautiful feathering! I hate to say it, but it almost looks like a fail-to-thrive situation, how small it is in comparison to the hatch mates.

 

[Molpet]

I have a poult ( hatched 5/23) that had a glancing blow from an adult jumping down on 7/4/18.. It quit growing for a week or so and is growing so slow now... it is the size of the ones hatched 6/20

 

[Redhead Rae]

Beautiful feathering! I hate to say it, but it almost looks like a fail-to-thrive situation, how small it is in comparison to the hatch mates.

I have a poult ( hatched 5/23) that had a glancing blow from an adult jumping down on 7/4/18.. It quit growing for a week or so and is growing so slow now... it is the size of the ones hatched 6/20

I'm thinking that the poor thing is probably putting so much energy into repairing the wound that she isn't able to grow as well. Her hatch mate that I thought might be a white sport is smaller than the one I compared her to, but still more than 2x her weight.

I've love that the Darks feathering is gender specific. Any chick with that much brown/red in their wings at this age are always females.

 

[Redhead Rae]

I'm beginning to think the poor thing might not make it. Even with a supplemental heat source, she is still walking around puffed up like she is cold. I think she is losing the battle, poor thing. I think I'm going to start giving her NutriDrench twice a day to see if that helps. I stopped after the first 3-4 days because she was doing so well.