First I read the article about embryo development, then I read this article. I would pay to go stay for a month or a year to learn more! The wealth of knowledge, the willingness to share this knowledge is amazing.
To put a safety hole in every egg is brilliant.
Removing the shell of the egg sack to see what is wrong is also brilliant. It allows you to see inside without risking harm to the chick. Covering the membrane with coconut oil to prevent shrink wrap also brilliant.
Yes, I’m using the word ‘brilliant’ a lot. That’s because this is a brilliant article.
I think the embryo development article & this one should be included with every incubator!
This is an amazingly informative document and I thank you.
Our chickens do hatch their own but frequently the chicks struggle and I think it’s because the humidity is just not good enough… the hutch perhaps too hot and no humidity beyond the mother. We have had to help in the past but this really shows you how to do it safely. Thank you
The chicks we have helped have all been absolutely fine.
I found this article very interesting and I am certainly not disappointed that I read it, however I found that the author used jargon assuming that everyone would know what is been referred to. An example is the word 'zip' - having read through the article I still do not know what it means. But overall the article was informative. Thank you.
This article is a life saver, literally.
This article alone taught me everything I needed to know about assisted hatch. I had a very problematic hatch earlier in the year where, had I not assisted, I’d only have 5 / 13 ducklings right now. With this article, I was able to save 5 more, and successfully hatched 10 / 13. Everyone is happy, healthy, and growing oh-so fast! Thank you so much!
i loved reading this and i have call ducks and i hatched one of them i helped her hatch and she is a beutiful girl sadly nobody else in her clutch hatched so we got her some freinds and the lady we got them from assisted them hatch
in my beleve that you should help when babys are hatching and i loved the pictures of the mums helping the babys
Before reading this a couple of months ago now, I lost a Lot of eggs.. but since reading, I've managed to save most that made it to day 21.. to make sure I got it right, I read your article 4 times. I'm so pleased that I did because I've got some cute bundles that are growing fast.
Now, when it comes to hatching, once the first 2 have hatched and absorbed all the moisture, it's time to help. Most I only partially break out, but some that have been upside down in the shell, I open completely and set back into the biggest part. So far, it's been successful..
The 2 in mini incubator were hatched to where they could do it themselves, the other 3 were natural, and a healthy 5 girls in last 2 pics. Without your help, these 2 would be dead.
Thank You!! By far, the Best article online!!
I wish I read this sooner. I lost a beautiful showgirl silkie because all i read was don’t assist. But on hatch day power went out and eggs were ice cold and it allready started to pip and then we moved them to the car to get warm again until power was back on. who know if it would of helped. i just wish i know i could and how to assist. so thanks for the good information.
This was the most helpful and comprehensive article I have read. Thank you for taking the time to go over this step by step. I also loved how you were gentle to broach the topic of assisting. Thank you again for sharing your expertise.