What Did I Do Wrong? :(

[LizCar]

Three weeks ago, one of my tiny seramas laid an egg. She rarely lays. I decided to place it under another Serama who was on her own clutch. I decided I would figure out the details later... The egg was about a week behind the original clutch. When that clutch hatched, I removed it, candled it, fount it viable and put it under another hen who had since gone broody with her own clutch of 8. So, yesterday was day 21, I noticed the egg was rockin and peeping. Quite active. I watched it through the day, and it never pipped. I let it go through the night since it seems everyone says, give it time... So I checked this morning and no movement, not peeps. I candled it, no movement, did the float test, floated HIGH. I went ahead and slowly started to chip away, to discover it was dead. But it seemed like it was in the right position...didn't seem shrink wrapped... Why didn't it pip? What could I have done different so that I didn't miss the window I could have helped it? Is waiting 24 hours too long if it is really moving and peeping but never pips? Was leaving it under a hen with a younger clutch the problem? Does that even matter? Was it just how it was this time and none of these things would have mattered? I would love to hear what you think.

 

[jjrj254]

Not all chicks hatch the 21st day, some take up to 23 I'm not sure why, but I think you may have drowned it when you did the float test, sorry for your loss

 

[LizCar]

I did not drown it, the shell was completely solid and it was only in the water for 3 seconds. It was already dead before the float test. That is why I did it, to be positive since it failed every other test to see if it was still alive. I am not sure why, it never was able to pip.

 

[sepaditty1]

I just had one that had a very rough time. Day 21 the pen flooded. Mama left the nest & her 5 eggs were under 2 inches of water. Stuck them all in the incubator not really hoping for much.

2 days later 4 looked totally dead. One looked mostly dead, just a faint wiggle. 1 day later, barely a wiggle. 1 day later, chirping! He'd internally pipped. 1 day later...nothing new. Weak chirping. Very little movement.

Even though everything says don't help! Don't help. I figured that since he was so far past day 21, maybe he was just running out of nutrients/energy. I made him a little hole. Few hours later...he's out! Weak but alive. I gave him vitamins in his water. He's now on day 3 and doing fine.

All this doesn't really answer your question, I know, but...I doubt you drowned your chick. Sometimes everything can go right & they don't make it. Sometimes everything can go wrong and they do make it. Nature is a marvelous thing. I wish you better luck on your other 2 batches.