Hi! So, I am invested in raising Bresse as my dual-purpose breed. I am aware of some of the issues that can arise with Bresse including genetic differences due to inbreeding and lack of fresh genetic material.
I spent a good $200 on 6 Bresse from Greenfire farms ($29 a chick with 6 chick min and $30 S&H) and they all got here healthy and ravenous and then I purchased some eggs on eBay for $50 which I got into the incubator asap when they came in.
Everywhere I was reading people frustrated with hatching Bresse and the successful ones swore by the dry incubation method. So, that is what I did for the most part until lockdown. I guess this has to do with the fact Bresse typically lay large eggs- but these eggs were normalish in size.
7 made it.
The day before yesterday was H-Day and one started piping and hatching last night (um... midnight- YIKES!) Another had a bit of a crack but I wasn't hearing anything this morning and the first chick had barely hatched and was GLUEY. I've never dealt with gluey stiff eggs before.
By mid morning I decided these guys probably needed help- they all had huge air pockets, too. Two did not make it- the insides were REALLY full of thick membrane and veins and one had a large amount of sticky egg white still- literally super glue. Before all is said and done, I've had to wash the guys who made it in warm water and put them back in the incubator to dry- they were weak and one died in the brooder just after I transferred them out.
I have 3 left and one seems to have a leg issue.
I assume it was the one who was malpositioned with one leg coming out first.
But her legs are tucked up under her and she isn't extending them. Im not really sure what to do or if she just needs electrolytes. I gave them all some save-a-chick but Im really concerned about these guys now.
I have no clue if this is from inbreeding or the way they were shipped from Florida to Oregon, or the dry incubation method or WHAT.
I spent a good $200 on 6 Bresse from Greenfire farms ($29 a chick with 6 chick min and $30 S&H) and they all got here healthy and ravenous and then I purchased some eggs on eBay for $50 which I got into the incubator asap when they came in.
Everywhere I was reading people frustrated with hatching Bresse and the successful ones swore by the dry incubation method. So, that is what I did for the most part until lockdown. I guess this has to do with the fact Bresse typically lay large eggs- but these eggs were normalish in size.
7 made it.
The day before yesterday was H-Day and one started piping and hatching last night (um... midnight- YIKES!) Another had a bit of a crack but I wasn't hearing anything this morning and the first chick had barely hatched and was GLUEY. I've never dealt with gluey stiff eggs before.
By mid morning I decided these guys probably needed help- they all had huge air pockets, too. Two did not make it- the insides were REALLY full of thick membrane and veins and one had a large amount of sticky egg white still- literally super glue. Before all is said and done, I've had to wash the guys who made it in warm water and put them back in the incubator to dry- they were weak and one died in the brooder just after I transferred them out.
I have 3 left and one seems to have a leg issue.
I assume it was the one who was malpositioned with one leg coming out first.
But her legs are tucked up under her and she isn't extending them. Im not really sure what to do or if she just needs electrolytes. I gave them all some save-a-chick but Im really concerned about these guys now.
I have no clue if this is from inbreeding or the way they were shipped from Florida to Oregon, or the dry incubation method or WHAT.
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