What did I do wrong, so I don't do it again??? I think I killed a chick... PLEASE ADVISE!!!

[JakeBremer]

How long do I keep the lone chick in the bator?????? Is it ok that it is still set at 99.5 for the other eggs???? Should I lower the temp??

The others from his date aren't hatching or moving or peeping.... he might be the only one til next tuesday... :{

Keep him in the bator for 24 hours(Give or Take) Or until he is all dried up. And dont lower the temp!!!

 

[bethann33]

Here's the Baby! It's from a Dominique who was in with a Blue Wheaton Americauna roo. I got the hen fertile from the breeder a couple of weeks ago and thought I would try to hatch some of her eggs... just to see what might come of it, if anything!! The chick looks really blue- or is that just what they all look like when they come out??

 

[JakeBremer]

Just wait until He/She is dried up.

 

[speckledhen]

At this point ALL of my eggs are boughten & shipped. I'm trying to get started & can't spend a fortune on eggs, so YES, EVERY EGG COUNTS!!! As for "If it can't get out on it's own, there's something wrong with it"...there was absolutely NOTHING wrong with most of my chicks other than I have an 8 yr old & a 5 yr old who can't keep their hands off the bator "cuz they wanna see". If I didn't rescue what chicks I could, I wouldn't get very many at all. I've already lost over half of my eggs, closer to 3/4.

I think what NYReds was trying to say, in part, was that you may not see anything wrong at first with a chick you must help out of the egg, but it could be constitutionally weaker than it should be throughout its life. I do understand what you're saying and especially with some of the BBS Orps we used to hatch, some chicks just seemed to grow too large for the smaller eggs to have room to maneuver, but those were in the minority. Most should never have hatched, even if they could get out of the egg.

Oh, if my kids had been that age when I was hatching, they'd have been really threatened with the fear of something if they got within five feet of the incubator!

 

[bobbi-j]

At this point ALL of my eggs are boughten & shipped. I'm trying to get started & can't spend a fortune on eggs, so YES, EVERY EGG COUNTS!!! As for "If it can't get out on it's own, there's something wrong with it"...there was absolutely NOTHING wrong with most of my chicks other than I have an 8 yr old & a 5 yr old who can't keep their hands off the bator "cuz they wanna see". If I didn't rescue what chicks I could, I wouldn't get very many at all. I've already lost over half of my eggs, closer to 3/4.

I think you and NYREDs are talking about apples and oranges here. He's talking about chicks that, under regular circumstances, can't hatch on their own. You are talking about chicks that can't hatch because your kids won't stay away from the incubator and are getting too dried out. If they were left alone, they probably would hatch on their own. Different story than when it's a weak bird. As far as the kids are concerned, if you can't keep them away from it, can you put a chair near the 'bator so they can look in without touching? Keep reminding them of the one that died because the incubator got opened too much. Maybe they'll understand why they shouldn't be doing it then.

 

[Nsampsel]

I think you and NYREDs are talking about apples and oranges here. He's talking about chicks that, under regular circumstances, can't hatch on their own. You are talking about chicks that can't hatch because your kids won't stay away from the incubator and are getting too dried out. If they were left alone, they probably would hatch on their own. Different story than when it's a weak bird. As far as the kids are concerned, if you can't keep them away from it, can you put a chair near the 'bator so they can look in without touching? Keep reminding them of the one that died because the incubator got opened too much. Maybe they'll understand why they shouldn't be doing it then.

They are leaving it alone now, cuz mom threatened their little butts with severe "ouchies" if they touched it again. Now my 5 yr old climbs on anything he can shove near or stands there & demands I pick his chunky little butt up so he can see. And yes, under mass production standards, and if breeding for SQ, you probably wouldn't want to help any chicks out unless you knew it was YOUR error that caused them to be stuck. Small backyard flock owners like me (& I think the OP) can't afford to lose more chicks than absolutely necessary. Thus, we don't mind if some of our chicks aren't "perfect." I have several older birds right now I'm sure many of you would cull: a crossbeak Silkie my daughter adores, a Silver Sebright who had her wing ripped off at the elbow today by my daughter's dog (dog may get culled instead of bird since she ATE 2 other birds today), a Black Star who was feather-picked as a chick & now can't fully extend her wing due to muscle damage & a Golden Sebright roo with the wrong type comb. All of these birds are adored by me & my children & I won't cull a bird unless absolutely necessary. My kids even had a cow yesterday when I sold 4 chickens & last week when I sold 3 chickens & 2 ducks. They seem to think we can keep ALL of them, but I live in town & am quickly running out of room in my backyard...LOL

 

[Tumbleweed Farm]

Isn't the higher humidity bad for the eggs in there not ready for lockdown--what about turning those eggs. I'm confused, help me understand this, thanks!

 

[Nsampsel]

Isn't the higher humidity bad for the eggs in there not ready for lockdown--what about turning those eggs. I'm confused, help me understand this, thanks!

Yes, to some extent...if you keep humidity as low as possible except during active hatch it doesn't affect a staggered hatch as much. As for turning, my humidity in my styrofoam bator recovers so rapidly I keep turning anything not in lockdown. Some bators you can't get away with this with.