My last hatch was finished and 24 hours had passed. Time to take the unhatched eggs and shells out of the hatcher. Wait a minute....what is that? Peeping! I held a couple eggs to my ear and quickly found the culprit. The egg had not even pipped. What to do? Well, I figured I didn't have anything to lose so with a little pressure I cracked open the egg to reveal a dry membrane. I moistened it a little and the little guy inside was squirming like crazy. Here goes nothing, and with that I pulled away a bit of the membrane. Blood poured out of the egg. Darn, well that did it, dead for sure now. I put the opened egg in a carton and popped it back in the hatcher and went to bed expecting to throw out a dead chick the next day.
I didn't even look as I got my breakfast ready and just before I left I heard a faint peep from the hatcher. Could it be? Yes! This dry bloody chick was still curled up in the shell, peeping for all he was worth. I took him out and ran the water warm, eased him out of the shell and washed him off. Amazingly enough he was pretty strong. I grabbed a paper towel, placed him on it and popped him back in the hatcher and headed off to work. I finally got home tonight at 10:00 and there he is, standing tall and proud, alone in the hatcher, proclaiming his victory over certain death.
And what breed do you think he is? A crossbred chick full of hybrid vigor? Not a chance. He is one of the LF white Cornish... A breed I expected would need a little coddling. Well, not the first time I have been presently wrong!
I didn't even look as I got my breakfast ready and just before I left I heard a faint peep from the hatcher. Could it be? Yes! This dry bloody chick was still curled up in the shell, peeping for all he was worth. I took him out and ran the water warm, eased him out of the shell and washed him off. Amazingly enough he was pretty strong. I grabbed a paper towel, placed him on it and popped him back in the hatcher and headed off to work. I finally got home tonight at 10:00 and there he is, standing tall and proud, alone in the hatcher, proclaiming his victory over certain death.
And what breed do you think he is? A crossbred chick full of hybrid vigor? Not a chance. He is one of the LF white Cornish... A breed I expected would need a little coddling. Well, not the first time I have been presently wrong!
