Who is with me?

[riqui1]

Do you think I should try opening the membrane on the silkie where I think that the beak is? He is lying on his side; the other one was backwards. Is it possible that he can suffocate if I don't? I won't, if it won't happen. I just don't want him to die while I am sitting here doing nothing...

 

[riqui1]

I made the decision to try to help him too late. I lost him too. I hesitated and I lost him. Now I really feel bad!

 

[riqui1]

Okay, I am over my losses and thinking about the rest of them now. The last silkie is making his way out and the other hatchling is doing just fine. The potential problem lies with the guineas.

If all but two of those eggs were shrink wrapped, it stands to reason that the problem lies with the humidity level in my incubator. That makes no sense though, as I calibrated my hygrometer before I used it and my humidity never got too low. Of course, they all seem to have died over the last few days, as they were all fully formed, short of a few. I didn't push the humidity up the way that it is "recommended" as I didn't want it to have a negative effect on the guineas that have more time left... Ugh...

The humidity, right now, is running at about 54%. Do you think that I should crank it up to help to avoid another issue? Will too much humidity be bad for the new chicks? The thing that really stinks about the guinea eggs is that I am not able to see through them well enough to know what is going on, come hatch day!! lol

 

[riqui1]

Trying this again... I wanted to know what you guys thought of this guinea egg I just found.

The side of the egg is cracked, down towards the narrow end, but it appears as if the membrane inside is intact. Every once in a while, I can see the chick moving in there, pushing against the membrane. Any idea why this happened? Does that membrane look too dry? Am I just being paranoid because of the last bunch?

I hope someone can answer this...will post over in the guinea section too...

 

[walkswithdog]

Might be pipped inside where you can't see it, when are they due???


And I just grabbed a five foot kingsnake out of the hen house - tossed it out and then beat it's head in... Still freaking slightly...

 

[riqui1]

AAAHHH!! I can't say that I blame you, if you are still freaking slightly! That's just a wee bit too big!!

They are due in 2 days, but every time I turn around I read about someone who has guinea eggs that hatched at 25 days and not 28, so I just figured that it could be any day now.

I don't THINK that he has pipped the membrane inside, as every once in a while I THINK that I can see his beak against the membrane. The only thing is, how would that crack have happened without the membrane being broken? Would that be possible? Could the two little fuzzy butts that were in there have done that much damage, as small as they are, in that maybe they caused that?

I am just worried about this whole batch being shrink wrapped too...stressing a little. Sorry...it would help if I could see through the darn eggs!!!

 

[chickie_mama]

I'm freakin' just reading this WWD.... I would have never been able to grab it!!!! This is the part where I go running and screaming away.... far, far away!

 

[walkswithdog]

Riqui if you're worried just pip his liner and check on him. As long as you don't do too much and you damp him a little and give him a sleeping bag, he'll be fine. Yes, they can fracture the shell without breaking the membrane.

And I am still a tad freaked out by the snake, so it wasn't an easy thing. I was just wayyyyyy ticked.

 

[riqui1]

Isn't it amazing what one will do when the adrenalin is pumping? I once killed a snake that was in my yard, right where my son played, as it was HUGE and I didn't want it anywhere around my son. I like snakes and had them as pets before, but this one was too much. I didn't touch it, as i wasn't sure what it was; I bashed it with a stone. It took a good surge of adrenalin just to do that. I didn't want to get close to it!! It turned out to be just a water snake, but this thing was big enough around to have been eating kittens!!

Yup, adrenalin will have you do some scary stuff... lol

So, I got a warm q-tip and just put a tiny drip of water in the hole where the pip is. The membrane didn't react like the ones in the other eggs did - it didn't suck that water right up and then become transparent. My fear was that this membrane was dry and tight on him. It doesn't seem that it is, at this point. I can see him moving around under it, but it is not tight against him in any way. Therefore, I am leaving him alone. He seems to be doing okay, at this time. If he isn't shrink wrapped, then I have no reason to bug him.

AND I JUST FOUND FOUR MORE PIPPED!!

Woohoo! I feel soooo much better now... Walking away from the bator...

 

[walkswithdog]

If it didn't go transparent that's the OUTER membrane, there's an inner and an outer (the outer is a water barrier) and actually you probably should dink it open a bit, sounds like it may have too much flex now to tear properly.

And don't ever put water on if you don't know exactly where beak and holes are. You don't want to accidentally get water in a hole you cannot see and drown the sucker.

Glad the others are going!!! Good luck!