Which is Better ~ Weak chick in the bator or heated box??

[steffpeck]

I have a chick that I helped out last night. I probably shouldn't have done that, but I had another one that pipped after this one and it died, so I panicked and decided to help. I was prepared for it to not make it through the night but it did. I took it out of the bator this morning and gave it some sugar water to try to help it, then I wrapped it in a little piece fleece and put it in the pocket on my shirt. I carried around with me for a while. After an hour or so I gave it some more sugar water, and went to arrange it again the fleece and noticed it felt a little on the cool side, so I put it in a box laying on some fleece with the heat lamp on it and it is about 98 degrees where it is laying. I have another egg pipped and that is starting to zip, so I don't want to open the bator if I don't have to, but would it be better in the bator than in the box?? It does move around a little bit, and chirps every so often, but really isn't opening it's eyes and is breathing a little fast. Should I just leave it or put it back in the bator??

 

[Enchanted Sunrise Farms]

I would suggest it be in some sort of brooder, with a heat lamp. The starting temperature under the brooder should be 95 degrees. The chick will also need to be able to get out from under the lamp if it is too hot. Provide food and water away from the direct spot of the heat lamp. You don't really have to worry about the chick not eating or drinking for the first three days. i wouldn't keep the chick in your pocket, as there really isn't any way that could keep it adequately warm.

Don't fret about helping it out. You made the best decision at the time. And give the chick some time to recuperate. i have helped chicks out too soon before, and they looked very sickly for 24 hours or so, then came around. Let us know how things go, okay?

 

[steffpeck]

Thanks! I do have it in a brooder box with a light on it. The temp is right at 98 degrees. It actually seems to be moving around a bit more, so hopefully that is a good sign. It's not opening its eyes yet though.

 

[Enchanted Sunrise Farms]

i had a chick i helped out too soon, just layed there on it's side like it was going to die for at least a full 24 hours. i felt just horrible. But then it started to sit up a bit, then move around. He recovered just fine and is now named Kid Rock and living on a 300 acre farm with lots of girlfriends (he was too much roo for our teeny flock).

i will keep a positive thought for your little one.

 

[Guinea Goonie]

When you see a peeper with an air hole that sits there for over 24 hours there are a few things you can do.
Sometimes, the chick is too large and can not really get going out of the egg. If you think this is the problem you can very carefully chip away (over the membrane) the egg shell around the air hole. Then carefully take off the membrane in the hole you created. Sometimes this gives the chick the start it needs. I let them sit there for a few hours. If nothing happens then you will more than likely need to take off the egg shell where the NATURAL AIR POCKET is. Sometimes you can then work the chicks head out of the shell.

What I have found it the chicks need to be in the shell so they can absorb the egg yolk and partially disconnect from the egg shell through the umbillical cord. If You get the chick out with the cord attached, it can really damage the chick.

I let them lay in the incubator, sometimes for 24 hours with thier heads out. They know when it is time to come all the way out and they will kick the bottom shell off. Sometime the umbillical cord is still partially attached so I take cudical scissors and cut this near the shell away from the chick. (when they have come out)

Sometimes you have to get them all the way out after all is done because the membrane dries to the feathers and they can not kick out.

The most improtant thing is to NOT pull them until they are ready to disconnect from the egg umbillical cord. This will kill them. Some chicks are so weak that it takes a really long time to get them out. sometimes there is something wrong and they die anyway.

I have hatched out small, medium and large chicks. The small ones are really good at hatching and the large one sometimes have to be helped out.

If you get cross breeds, sometimes you get a really big chick in a smallish egg, these are the hardest.

I have found that if you see a peep you should make sure they have an air hole. sometimes they peep and do not break the membrane and die. The last hatch out we did, we had 26 little farts and not one of them died. We are very attentive on hatch day.