Why do chicks helped out of shell have sticky matted fluff?

[Sunny Side Up]

We're curious as to why chicks that work themselves out of their shells on their own dry off nice & fluffy, but others that must be helped to hatch are sticky with their fluff all matted down? I've seen this happen more than once.

Most recently was yesterday when there was a fully zipped egg left behind in the nest after the hen took her other older chicks for their first outing. I tucked it back under the hen when she resettled in her nest, but later found it kicked in the corner. I thought the chick was dead, but it was waving a dusty little wing at me through the crack. The yolk was fully absorbed but the membrane was too dry to tear, so I peeled the shell away from the chick.

When it dried its fluff was all matted down. I took someone's advice & gently brushed it with a soft toothbrush to remove the dried albumen and fluff it up.

But the kids & I want to know just why these kinds of chicks don't dry up fluffy like other chicks?

I'm fluffy!

I'm sticky!

 

[hinkjc]

Because during the "helping" they are exposed to improper air/humidity. The high humidity in the hatcher is what allows them to fluff out properly.

 

[FenDruadin]

I've wondered the same thing, although my experience (small though it is) was different. My first (and only so far--I'm on my second right now) hatch involved only five eggs, three of which made it out of the shell. The one I helped actually fluffed up just fine. It was the middle one that was slimy and sticky. He did fluff up eventually, and at three weeks old is doing just fine, though smaller than the other surviving duck (one died at a week old).

What I did notice, though, was that the one who was sticky still had the yolk attached when he came out. He got out on his own, though. Some time before this, I had read somewhere--but have failed to find it again, though I've looked--a thread (not necessarily on BYC) in which someone mentioned a sticky duckling with the yolk still attached.

So I'm wondering whether it has something to do with not absorbing the yolk all the way? Perhaps what's on them is part of the yolk that usually would be absorbed? And maybe chicks who are helped out are more likely not to absorb the whole yolk?

I don't know. I know the duckling who was helped in my last batch had crazy humidity--he pipped about 12 hours before making a hole, then sat there with a gaping hole in the shell for 24 hours, peeping and talking and drinking water from a paintbrush before I finally took him out and helped him bit by bit to break free. But he still dried out just perfectly normally.

I don't know. But it's an excellent question and I am looking forward to hearing more thoughts on the topic.

 

[Sunny Side Up]

Maybe that's why the Mama hens stay on the nest the whole day their chicks are hatching, and they don't get up for their daily eat/drink/poop break. They must be maintaining the correct warm & humid environment underneath them for their chicks to fluff dry.

There seems to be a connection with a chick's efforts to push itself out of its shell and its leg strength. When they don't push themselves out they seem to take much longer to stand & walk.

My lil' chick is still wobbly, still has one foot a bit crooked, still not walking well. But it is beginning to drink & eat, and can peep loudly. We'll continue to give it a chance to live.

I too would like to hear more thoughts & opinions about this.

 

[Beka]

The sticky and matted fur is caused by the contents of the eggs drying on the chick. It dries because when you help it out of the egg you lower the humidity which causes the eggs contents to dry on the bird. Chicks which hatch themselves in a constant humidity are able to absorb these fluids and so they fluff up. You can 'scrich' at the chicks matted fur to get rid of it but he will sort it out himself in time.