I had a certain egg under a broody hen and about 14 days into incubation, she managed to break it. I wasn't there when it happened but I was lucky to see it when I did. I took it away before she could think about eating it. I had no good reason to try to save it considering there was a huge hole in it (using a small flashlight I could even see the color of its chick feathers) but I took some advice and put tape (a few pieces, to make sure the hole was completely covered) on it and I've been taking care of it for a few days now, keeping it warm and humid. Not sure how well, since I threw an "incubator" together from whatever I found and I've been tilting it back and forth myself for three days, but apparently I'm doing an adequate job.
I can actually see through the tape well enough to see bits of the shell moving sometimes. I refused to believe my eyes last night because it was wishful thinking, but there is definitely something alive in that egg. Most of the time, it's still, but what worries me is that sometimes the bits of shell are sort of pulsing as if the little guy is breathing, other times there'll be one or two fragments moving like he's pushing. Basically, like he's hatching. Problem is that these fragments are on the edge of the hole so if he tries to get out that way he's going to meet air-tight tape. The sticky side of it, no less. Also if he's started breathing air where the tape is rather than the air pocket thing that's in the egg naturally, I'm afraid he's going to run out of air.
And most troubling if he's trying to hatch is that he's only on about day 17 or 18 now. Unless d'uccle-silkie crosses normally hatch 3 days early, I think that's the biggest concern at the moment.
My thought is that when he's actually hatching I need to be ready to snip the tape a bit so he can either to push through it himself (seems unlikely to me) or I can just pull it out of his way. It will be in his way when he "zips", whenever he does.
I probably didn't write this very clearly. I'm sorry. I guess I'm just asking what you guys think the little guy is doing and what I should do if/when he is definitely hatching.
I can actually see through the tape well enough to see bits of the shell moving sometimes. I refused to believe my eyes last night because it was wishful thinking, but there is definitely something alive in that egg. Most of the time, it's still, but what worries me is that sometimes the bits of shell are sort of pulsing as if the little guy is breathing, other times there'll be one or two fragments moving like he's pushing. Basically, like he's hatching. Problem is that these fragments are on the edge of the hole so if he tries to get out that way he's going to meet air-tight tape. The sticky side of it, no less. Also if he's started breathing air where the tape is rather than the air pocket thing that's in the egg naturally, I'm afraid he's going to run out of air.
And most troubling if he's trying to hatch is that he's only on about day 17 or 18 now. Unless d'uccle-silkie crosses normally hatch 3 days early, I think that's the biggest concern at the moment.
My thought is that when he's actually hatching I need to be ready to snip the tape a bit so he can either to push through it himself (seems unlikely to me) or I can just pull it out of his way. It will be in his way when he "zips", whenever he does.
I probably didn't write this very clearly. I'm sorry. I guess I'm just asking what you guys think the little guy is doing and what I should do if/when he is definitely hatching.
