So, I don’t think anything can be done now, but I’m just curious if anyone has ever heard of this happening, or any comments/ideas of what happened.
My story starts with one hen. Licorice is her name. She began to sit and I decided to put some eggs under her. Instead of using my own eggs I wanted to introduce some new genes into my flock (i have about 17 chickens of a variety of breeds). So I got 6 eggs that from here on will be referred to as the ‘M’ group
I put the eggs under Licorice and everything was dandy. It just so happened that at this time I had a cold, so was stuck at home, and I would go out and candle the eggs pretty much every day while Licorice left to have some food and water.
The eggs progressed well, although we had an early quitter at day 6 and another quit at day 8. But the other four had beautiful veins, growing quickly, tons of movement…
Day 9, a friend of mine was incubating some eggs with his chicken when the hen decided she was sick of sitting on eggs, so I offered the services of my chicken. He brings over the eggs and we add 6 to the nest. This group will be referred to as the ‘G’ group from now on.
We could tell that group G had been incubating for longer than group M which presented a problem because after group G was born, she would likely abandon the other eggs soon after. But to keep Licorice on the nest we decided to simply take the babies from group G off the mum until she hatched group M and then return them so they could be one big happy family.
Day 12 comes and 5 from group G have internally pipped! How exciting! Through the night 2 babies hatch and they are adorable. Throughout the next day we go out every now and then to check on the progress of the other eggs. By 1pm another chick hatches. By 3 pm there’s another. But the 5th baby has still not externally pipped. I’m tempted to try help, but these things can take time, so I leave it.
At this point we have 4 little chickies hatched from group G, 2 left to hatch from group G, and the 4 from group M yet to hatch.
7pm on the same day I go out to candle the eggs, as I hadn’t had a chance to do so all day. To my shock and horror, every egg I look into has lost their veins and is very still. “They’re just……….sleeping” I tell myself. So I leave it for the next day
Day 13. I’ve candled during the day and they look the same, very tiny veins (if any), and the slightest little movement (which might be my imagination). Baby 5 of group G had not pipped still, so I broke it open and he had not absorbed the yolk although he did make it through the membrane, probably just some sort of weakness that he died from.
What I don’t understand is why 5 thriving babies died in the space of one day while their brothers and sisters were hatching?!? This is so weird to me! Licorice didn’t leave the nest or anything…
A couple details that might help to give context:
We live in a very warm humid environment.
I have hatched chicks using a mother hen about 4 or 5 times now, always candling them through the process, so I have some experience as to what they are or aren’t supposed to look like.
Sorry for the long story! I do hope it provides enough details though to maybe give you all some idea why this happened? Let me know your thoughts
My story starts with one hen. Licorice is her name. She began to sit and I decided to put some eggs under her. Instead of using my own eggs I wanted to introduce some new genes into my flock (i have about 17 chickens of a variety of breeds). So I got 6 eggs that from here on will be referred to as the ‘M’ group
I put the eggs under Licorice and everything was dandy. It just so happened that at this time I had a cold, so was stuck at home, and I would go out and candle the eggs pretty much every day while Licorice left to have some food and water.
The eggs progressed well, although we had an early quitter at day 6 and another quit at day 8. But the other four had beautiful veins, growing quickly, tons of movement…
Day 9, a friend of mine was incubating some eggs with his chicken when the hen decided she was sick of sitting on eggs, so I offered the services of my chicken. He brings over the eggs and we add 6 to the nest. This group will be referred to as the ‘G’ group from now on.
We could tell that group G had been incubating for longer than group M which presented a problem because after group G was born, she would likely abandon the other eggs soon after. But to keep Licorice on the nest we decided to simply take the babies from group G off the mum until she hatched group M and then return them so they could be one big happy family.
Day 12 comes and 5 from group G have internally pipped! How exciting! Through the night 2 babies hatch and they are adorable. Throughout the next day we go out every now and then to check on the progress of the other eggs. By 1pm another chick hatches. By 3 pm there’s another. But the 5th baby has still not externally pipped. I’m tempted to try help, but these things can take time, so I leave it.
At this point we have 4 little chickies hatched from group G, 2 left to hatch from group G, and the 4 from group M yet to hatch.
7pm on the same day I go out to candle the eggs, as I hadn’t had a chance to do so all day. To my shock and horror, every egg I look into has lost their veins and is very still. “They’re just……….sleeping” I tell myself. So I leave it for the next day
Day 13. I’ve candled during the day and they look the same, very tiny veins (if any), and the slightest little movement (which might be my imagination). Baby 5 of group G had not pipped still, so I broke it open and he had not absorbed the yolk although he did make it through the membrane, probably just some sort of weakness that he died from.
What I don’t understand is why 5 thriving babies died in the space of one day while their brothers and sisters were hatching?!? This is so weird to me! Licorice didn’t leave the nest or anything…
A couple details that might help to give context:
We live in a very warm humid environment.
I have hatched chicks using a mother hen about 4 or 5 times now, always candling them through the process, so I have some experience as to what they are or aren’t supposed to look like.
Sorry for the long story! I do hope it provides enough details though to maybe give you all some idea why this happened? Let me know your thoughts
