My first baby hatched last night and this afternoon I found it dead? Is there a common reason why this happens or is there something I am doing wrong? It seemed fine when I checked it this morning. I dont want this to happen to all the chicks that hatch :ausb:

if this is the first time your hen has bred was the chick fed they do not seem to relise they have to feed the chick

Yes this is the first time she has bred and I dont know if the hen was feeding it?

I think this might be the problem. Now that you hve lost one it would be best to check three or four times with the next one and keep an eye on the baby's crop it should have a yellow blob if it is being feed.

There is an egg about to hatch it has had cracks around it for 2 days now and I can hear the chick chirping inside does this mean it could be trapped inside because its been 2 days since it started to hatch and it still hasent come out??

I believe the maximum time it takes for an egg to hatch is 48 hours, but whether I am thinking of budgie eggs I'm not sure. Wait for someone else to respond, as I have a few different birds, and sometimes get confused

I have reaad too that it take a while to hatch and not to feel tempted to help it (I found this out after i helped one on mine )

the first baby of one of my hens died as well but she worked out pretty quick to feed them and not to walk all over them too.

 

i presonaly wouldnt help a baby out of its shell as i couldnt do such a dellicate job without getting the shakes. the mother will help her hatchling if it needs help

I have reaad too that it take a while to hatch and not to feel tempted to help it (I found this out after i helped one on mine )

Sorry not trying to sound morbid in asking but ...

What happens thats bad when and if trying to attempt helping a baby out of its shell? Not that im saying for anyone to do it, I was just wondering on what your experiance was Nerwen?

There is an egg about to hatch it has had cracks around it for 2 days now and I can hear the chick chirping inside does this mean it could be trapped inside because its been 2 days since it started to hatch and it still hasent come out??

:angel1: By the way this may sound corney my Grandpa's an Angel ( Albert Henry Angel )

My Philosophy is very SIMPLE let the egg open if the egg is not open theres a reason.....check the food and water you are feeding the Parents......

Dont Panic the first young often if its the hens first young ( I tend to mix PUT EXPIERENCED HEN with a young Cock and VISA VERSA an EXPIERENCED COCK with a Juvenile Hen)

so things like this are helped read my artical on FOSTER CARE OR CHECK YOUR RESEARCH where if a hen is not ready a you have a second pair down move the eggs or Young ( Be careful for the Hatching times need to match if She already has her own eggs )

 

Basically let them Hatch you can introduce a marble to the nest to stop the Parents squashing the young..

Regards Doc

 

Sorry not trying to sound morbid in asking but ...

What happens thats bad when and if trying to attempt helping a baby out of its shell? Not that im saying for anyone to do it, I was just wondering on what your experiance was Nerwen?

I think things will work out and a good name for a young Baby would be SURFIE....

Regards Doc

Sorry not trying to sound morbid in asking but ...

What happens thats bad when and if trying to attempt helping a baby out of its shell? Not that im saying for anyone to do it, I was just wondering on what your experiance was Nerwen?

 

The fourth baby and last Died around the age of a week, We named him Loopie so he could be ganted a name to life in heaven by. He use to charge all over the box his neck still not strong enough yet to lift his head. He was turning out to be a card of a bird.

 

I saw him hatching early in the morning and started to worry around midday when he was still half in half out of the shell and so thought it best to help.

(scaned photo so so bad quality)

When I removed the shell the lad still had a sort of umbilical (sp?) cord stuck to his belly and after a couple of days was getting poop stuck to it that I had to clean off. It was a few days after I did this that he died.

 

I can't say for sure that what I didn't harmed him but I know I will not be taking the risk again. I also cleaned the next box that day and worried that move had harmed him also, so I can't say for sure what the matter was but after reading not to 'help' hatch them I will not try it again.

Edited January 31, 200619 yr by Nerwen

Today the secound baby hatched and I was watching the hen today it looks like she is attacking it? She was using her beak and pulling it towards her and looks like she is digging her beak into the baby? Is this normal because pushing and pulling the chick around surely cant be good.

How often do the chicks get fed because the chick hatched about lunch time and the crop is still empty?

If the hen hasn't started to feed it. Get an eye dropper and mix up some hand feeding mixture to recomended rate. If you don't have any and can't get some quickly get some lite fat milk and mix it half and half with water and add a touch of egg & biscuit mix. Give the chick a few drops, one at a time. Place a small drop on the tip of the beak, you will see it disappear. After a couple of dropps you should see the crop change colour with the milk. This will give the chick some fluid. They can dry out quickly. With this in it's crop it should gain some strength and start to call for the mother. you may have to repeat this every hour for a few hours.

 

Make sure the mixture is very runny. New hatched chicks cant take solids.

 

Let us know how you go.

Edited February 2, 200619 yr by daz

The chick is chirping all the time sounds like its hungry, what does the crop look like when its empty because at the moment it looks like its full of air.

After just watching the hen for half an hour because she lets me watch her, And I saw her feeding the chick and the chicks crop is filling up which is good news! Lets hope this chick survives.

Edited February 2, 200619 yr by James Woodley

Thats good news. It is also fortunate that the hen let you watch. Mine leave the nest box as soon as I look in.

The chick survived 10 days and died I checked it and saw that it crop was empty so the hen stopped feeding it why would she do that? I have bad luck with breeding, I had 7 eggs altogether 2 infertile 3 dead in shell and 2 hatched but died. Does this normally happen?

as it was the only chick i think the hen lost interest it and so stoped feeding it does happen if this was her first time breeding then what you descibed does happen quite a lot