Just candled my eggs and .........

[Nicos]

Sorry- I couldn't help having a chuckle

See Di- it's not just us that has fun and games with the chicks!!!

( please tell me you're not going to eat Claude after all that???....best tell him now so the bad news just blends in with his other bad luck!!!) )

[di]

If it's any consolation,the two chicks that I sat up ALL night making sure were OK.....are both looking a tad bit boyish too!

I'm feeling a little guilty but there's two eggs still in the incubator and every time I go look I'm filled with dread at the thought of one of them pipping.....I've really had as much as can take this time

[di]

Sorry- I couldn't help having a chuckle

See Di- it's not just us that has fun and games with the chicks!!!

( please tell me you're not going to eat Claude after all that???....best tell him now so the bad news just blends in with his other bad luck!!!) )

I try to look at it that between us we're ensuring Rule The Roost is packed with all the knowledge about what little obstacles you may encounter hatching chicks

[organic]

Since there's been mention of a partially absorbed yolk here I thought I'd ask in this thread...

...A while back I saw a documentary where chicks that hadn't fully absorbed the yolk were killed (this in a massive farm, possibly battery though I'm not sure about that) for some reason or another.
Is there a reason they'd be killing them and yet others keep them and look after them normally?
Are there potential issues up the road for a chick that hasn't absorbed the whole yolk before hatching?

I'm sure this probably comes down to the rather brutal nature of factory farming but I don't have any detail beyond that.

[Nicos]

Is this what you are looking for?
Veterinary Assessment of Shipping Live Birds as Airmail - 14 July 2008
There is a typo- "slows" - not "shows"

Quote....

"Even if ambient temperatures are mild, when chicks are crowded, those in the center will be overheated and those at the edges will be chilled. When the air around an individual chick remains below 85-90 degrees F, yolk absorption shows, causing hypoglycemia, reduced absorption of yolk immunoglobulins (immunodeficiency), starvation, and death.
Above 95 degrees F, chicks become dehydrated and can no longer absorb their yolks.

When distressed chicks are returned to an optimal environment, there has usually been irreversible, fatal damage to the kidney and liver (from metabolism of the body’s protein and fat stores). The intestinal tract also slows, causing bacterial overgrowth in the bowel and attached yolk sac. Unabsorbed or infected yolks absorb fluids from the bloodstream and swell up, eventually rupturing. This may occur as late as the 7th to 12th day of life, well after the environment has been corrected. "


Perhaps that's one reason for the cull???

[MaureenHall]

Sorry- I couldn't help having a chuckle
See Di- it's not just us that has fun and games with the chicks!!!

( please tell me you're not going to eat Claude after all that???....best tell him now so the bad news just blends in with his other bad luck!!! )

If he ever makes it into adulthood then I doubt very much whether he'd have a "normal" cockerel life anyway, so yes, I'll eat him After all the time and effort I've put in so far he'd better be tasty

"Her Ladyship" aka Coriander is doing fabulous now even though she had a partially unabsorbed yolk at hatch. They're 4 weeks (nearly), eating, drinking and pooing normally. I think only time will tell if there's any long-lasting effects, but if she also looks like a no-no when she's older, then she'll be dinner too

[organic]

Nicos - that could be it. Grim though.
Certainly hope this particular ball of fuzz makes it through with its health though... at least until it's big enough for a meal anyway (or maybe just a starter).

[Hilary B]

I suspect that large scale chicken keepers simply can't afford the extra time it takes to get a weakling to adulthood, whether it be splayed legs, unabsorbed yolk or any other problem. Dispatching these less-than-perfect chicks is a commercial necessity for those doing things on the typical full-time-commercial scale.