The last of my eggs to hatch didn’t do so well. The poor little chick had pecked a good sized hole in its shell, but then it seemed stuck, and couldn’t manage to finish the job.
For two and a half days we watched and waited, but the little guy just couldn’t get out. I was dying to help it, but I read that you are not supposed to help crack the egg, that it could kill the chick… and so, we waited.
But when day three was fast approaching, I decided that chick was not going to make it unless we intervened.
I searched online and read through forums about chicks getting stuck in the shell and how to help them. I came across info stating that if the shell was cracked for too long, the membranes inside would dry up and the chick would become stuck. I opened the incubator to examine our chick.
Yep. The membranes were dry, even hardened. I could feel the chick glued to the inside surface of the shell. Her little beak was poked out, and cheeping, and she was wiggling with all her might, yet it was hopeless. The membranes were so tight to her feathers, there was no way she’d break loose.
I called to my husband for help. He brought me cotton balls moistened with warm water, and we wet the tough membrane layer as I slowly, and very carefully picked tiny pieces of the shell off using a pair of tweezers.
Every so often I would stop, and see if the chick could finish the job. She was squirming and kicking, but it was still too difficult for her.
Slowly and steadily I picked the shell off of her little body. It seemed that almost every inch of her was stuck to it. I wet each little section, and did my best to gently pull the membranes loose. Finally, after about 45 min of doing this, she was completely free.
As soon as she was loose, I quickly covered the incubator back over her to let her dry. I watched as she flopped around, bumping into all of the other unhatched eggs. Was she gonna be okay? I wondered. I couldn’t help but feel slightly responsible.
I read somewhere that if the eggs aren’t turned regularly, that the chicks could grow to the inside of the shell, and not be able to break loose.
Our egg turner had stopped rotating somewhere along the line… something I hadn’t noticed for quite a while before beginning turning them by hand. I wonder if that could have caused the problem.
After resting a while she was able to get up and hobble around. But she didn’t look as good as the others had when they’d hatched. Something wasn’t right. Her neck and her back seemed crooked, and her head hung down when she walked.
Poor little thing!! I feel so bad for her. I don’t know if she’s gonna make it, but if she does I’m afraid she’ll be crippled. The other chicks have been surprisingly sweet to her.
Right away they tried to snuggle her. But this morning I found her huddled by herself in a corner of the box, tucked in snugly behind a little teddy bear I gave them. I wonder if she’ll make it.
In all honesty, I am hoping that she will peacefully slip away in her sleep. I’d hate for her to suffer a long life of debilitation and pain. But maybe she’ll surprise me. Maybe she’ll make a full recovery. Whatever happens, nature will take its course, I guess.
A city girl learning to homestead on an acre of land in the country. Wife and homeschooling mother of four. Enjoying life, and everything that has to do with self sufficient living.
we have had amazing success hatching our chicks. The key in our opinion is Ionic silver added to their water. Some use colloidal silver with success too. Another uses apple cider vinegar in the water and swears by it. When, on occasion our chicks take too long to hatch we do help break the shell but not the membrane. Then we spray it with pure ionic silver water and other than a few times they hatch the rest of the way themselves. We have had two that had deformities but out of over 100 hatched that is not too bad. I make our silver water but it is available at health food stores. It is pricey but worth it and you only use an ounce or so in the one gallon waterers. None of our chicks are medicated or vaccinated ever.
Best of luck to you. Don’t give up.
Very good advice. Thanks, Deana! Since this episode, we’ve had a few of our Buffs go broody, and hatched some chicks out naturally- which was SO much easier, and awesome to watch! It’s nice to just let the mama take care of it the way YHWH intended!! 🙂
Did the chic make it??????
Angela,
No 🙁 It died shortly after. They all died.
It is probably “gimpy” which means that it has some defect. Sometimes legs aren’t formed correctly or wings. This is probably why it didn’t hatch. We have never had luck in helping them to hatch. Usually they don’t make it. We have only had one that we helped make it. I now just let what hatch hatches and leave the rest alone. It is easier to see a shell that has a peck than to watch one suffer and die. If it is not strong enough to compete with the others for food and water it will die. No one has time to hand feed a chick. I’m glad to hear you had some hatch. How many eggs did you set and how many hatched? 50% is a good rate with your kind of bator.
Careful hatching is very addictive!
Don’t feel bad… I am sure things like this happen all the time in nature. Remember that every creature of God is good… no matter how they look, what we think, or how long they live. Stay encouraged; keep up the good work.
Can’t wait until I can write about stuff like this
Farm life can seem brutal at times.It’s hard to watch something that seems so helpless to struggle so. But I believe it serves to make us appreciate life that much more. Take comfort knowing you did all that you could!
Aw. Poor little chickie. But…poor human mama, too! Don’t beat yourself up over this. You are new at this and still learning. *hugs*