okay, well since i didn't see an area on this forum telling you how, when, or why to hatch a baby that's late I thought i'd make up a little article with a video...

 

First thing to remember when a baby is late is Patience. You can't rush it, if you hatch it to early it will die, but then also if you hatch it too late it will also die.

 

I've hatched probably somewhere near... 30-40 babies to date which have been late (Not for the fun).

 

Before a baby is ready to hatch it will start moving around in it's shell, You can see this by candeling it, this usually happen 24-48 hours before the baby is due. The second step is "Chipping" The baby bird inside the egg will break it's beak slightly out of the internal membrane and start picking away at the egg letting in larger amounts of oxygen and preparing itself for the outside world.

The last step is when the baby begins "chirping" This means the baby is ultra close to hatching itself out and is now ready for the outside world as it's lungs will be able to bear it.

 

 

BEFORE you can hatch any baby bird out you have to make sure it is Chirping and past it's hatching time (usually AM the day it begins chirping *between midnight and morning*) Don't leave it too long in the shell in hope it'll hatch if it's already past it's hatch time, but do make sure it's been chirping for atleast a few hours. Even 12 hours can make the difference between a DIS bub who didn't make it out and a healthy happy chick who you helped.

 

I leave all mine until midday the day they're due to come out, if I check them by midday and they've still not made it out I aid them. All sorts of things can make them unable to hatch, temperature, exhaustion, dehydration, weak chicks, illness, but I find instead of letting nature take it's course whilst in the shell it will still tell you if they were meant to be helped or not as they'll either survive once out, or they won't.

 

The longer the chicks are in the egg and past their due time the more faeces will be in the egg with the chick, which can be potentially dangerous also. You can see faeces under a good light when candeling also, which can be a major indicator the chick is over due if they've already stopped chirping.

 

 

 

 

 

Step 1: Look at the egg under a light to see the baby moving inside (make sure to look for dark spots of faeces)

 

Step 2: Check the egg for signs of "chipping" (breaking away from inside out)

 

Step 3: Listen to the egg and see if the baby is still only "chipping" or is now "chirping" within

 

Step 4: Find the spot the baby within has already begun to chip away at and pull the top off (make sure you do it at this end and that you're especially careful not to catch the baby, it's also handy to have tissues near by for the poo and blood).

 

Step 5: Pull small fragments of remaining shell off, piece by piece.

 

Step 6: Dry baby with tissues ***DO NOT pull anthing off where the umbilical cord was as this can cause the bub to bleed***

 

Step 7: Return bub to the nest once warm and let nature NOW take it's place with it's parents :hap:

 

 

http://s236.photobucket.com/albums/ff16/1l...nt=P8120765.flv - Video of Hatching a baby!

Amazing ...thankyou so much for posting this Libby.

 

********One thing to add....Libby is extremely experienced in knowing exactly when and how this must be done. If ever in this position you must follow instruction to the very letter or it will all go sadly very wrong.

Edited August 13, 200817 yr by KAZ

Great video Libby, great to see how it's done rather than just read about it. :hap:

Awesome, Lib, Thank you for doing this for us :hap:

I agree with Denise, it is much better to have a visual

 

Again thanks :hap:

Awsome Libby... thanks to you and 'the camera man'

The egg is so little, and wow is all I can say

I haven't seen a chick hatch before - even aided its an amazing process - thanks for your info

Welcome guys It's a rewarding process

I had to hatch two alone yesterday, both are doing well in their nests

Wow Libby such a beautiful thing to share with us a way of saving any babies that we may have that need some help ,thank you so much for this informative info and this Awesomeee video...i certainly woudnt be afraid to do what you did... to save a little helpless babe like that would truly be an amazing feeling to be able to do this ..very nice of you Libby to share this with all of us on here .........Regards John & Swanacilli

Thanks libby and it was really amazing video.

I loved this video... I remember hatching chicken eggs in an incubator for 4-H as a child and forgot how amazing it is so see a new life in the palm of your hands. I have a question. What happens if you didn't mark your eggs??? I didn't mark my eggs cause I was too afraid of damaging them. Now I have two clutches and my first clutch should have started hatching on Sept 1st (day 18) but nothing yet???? Can I pick up eggs and just listen to them and if I hear chirping help them out??? I (although I was petrified to do so) finally candled ALL ten eggs in both clutches today. I was too afraid before and tried to candle one or two eggs but got nervous and put them back. My first clutch I feel a bit hopeless with cause I can't tell anything on them. Some are clear, some have half dark and half clear areas, and all of them seem to be "swirled" and not viened??? .... but my second clutch I can tell everyone of them are fertile. They all have very dark viens running through them and some have dark masses in them other have small dark speck (I asume the bigger the dark spot the older the egg). But as I was saying I didn't mark my eggs so at this point one if not two of the eggs from my first clutch should have hatched by now, but nothing has happened. Now watching your video and knowing you can help a "late chick" I fear that I may have really screwed up by not marking them and "opening" the over due eggs. For all I know they aren't even fertile, but now the "what if" kills me. :hap:

Thank you Libby! Your step by step guide is amazing and yesterday I put it into practice - with excellent results! :hap:

I loved this video... I remember hatching chicken eggs in an incubator for 4-H as a child and forgot how amazing it is so see a new life in the palm of your hands. I have a question. What happens if you didn't mark your eggs??? I didn't mark my eggs cause I was too afraid of damaging them. Now I have two clutches and my first clutch should have started hatching on Sept 1st (day 18) but nothing yet???? Can I pick up eggs and just listen to them and if I hear chirping help them out??? I (although I was petrified to do so) finally candled ALL ten eggs in both clutches today. I was too afraid before and tried to candle one or two eggs but got nervous and put them back. My first clutch I feel a bit hopeless with cause I can't tell anything on them. Some are clear, some have half dark and half clear areas, and all of them seem to be "swirled" and not viened??? .... but my second clutch I can tell everyone of them are fertile. They all have very dark viens running through them and some have dark masses in them other have small dark speck (I asume the bigger the dark spot the older the egg). But as I was saying I didn't mark my eggs so at this point one if not two of the eggs from my first clutch should have hatched by now, but nothing has happened. Now watching your video and knowing you can help a "late chick" I fear that I may have really screwed up by not marking them and "opening" the over due eggs. For all I know they aren't even fertile, but now the "what if" kills me. :hap:

I don't mark any of my eggs. To tell if it's ready to hatch I look for pipping (small parts of the egg being pushed from the inside out) I candle them for movement outside of the membrane (where you can see they've broken through) and listen for chirping.

They shouldn't really have overly "dark" spots, those eggs may be addled, DIS or even rotten by the sounds of it... Best you can do is probably wait and hope they'll hatch so you can be ready and know what to look for next time :hap:

 

 

Thank you Libby! Your step by step guide is amazing and yesterday I put it into practice - with excellent results! :hap:

 

Excellent news Renee :hap: Glad it helped!

wow.