Survival of the fittest

greenaus · **Posted:** Sat Apr 19, 2008 3:09 am

County Lodge asked about chicks which hatch later and weaker than the others. This got me thinking...

In the "old days" when Farmer brown was hatching eggs in big incubators, did he throw all the unhatched eggs away on day 22, or leave them all to hatch?

I ask, because maybe just as we don't help them hatch because we want the weak ones to be naturally weeded out, perhaps we shouldn't be letting them hatch on day 23 or 24 either.

I know it sounds harsh, particularly since we're talking about living chicks that would hatch, and I can't imagine destroying such chicks, but should we?

Peter16 · **Posted:** Sat Apr 19, 2008 3:54 pm

grr its a pain losing all these posts

you read what i wrote before hopefully so ill just say

i agree they should be destroyed

greenaus · **Posted:** Sun Apr 20, 2008 1:53 am

Our first child was three weeks late and has the most delays of any of our kids so far.

Three of our four children have speech-language delays. Since getting chooks and learning about them, I began to wonder if I should be breeding at all. :-(

But if I didn't, I wouldn't have these kids each of whom I love so much.

Regarding chooks, I'll have to see what I do over the next year or so of hatching and stuff.

Jeff Trescott · **Posted:** Tue Apr 22, 2008 5:16 pm

Some people cull out the weak ones as part of their resistance to disease and I think there may be some merrit but I don't do it, too much of a softie at heart :-D

Jeff

bunyanuternie · **Joined:** Wed Jul 11, 2007 10:31 pm **Posts:** 2903

I'm with JT , if it's meant to be , it's meant to be , and if not nature can do her job when she's ready , I help the weak ones , and if an egg goes over 21 days Ialways leave them in a bit longer , just a big softy at heart

Lou · **Joined:** Mon Nov 19, 2007 11:12 am **Posts:** 387

I help any straglers as well, I hate the idea of not giving them a chance. The last batch of guinea eggs i had there where 2 late, 1 had splay legs, of course he was a 3/4 white lavender & the other lay on his side for 2 days. I taped the legs of the pied & propped the other up in a dog dish, the pied could walk properly in less than 12 hours & doggy boy came good by day 4, now you can't tell them from the other keets that where on time.

pjh · **Posted:** Fri Apr 25, 2008 2:55 pm

I usually don't help straglers, but if they hatch a bit late (by themselves) give them a chance---but have had very few late chicks turn into keepers and the 2 late ones from the last batch died at day 4 and day6 :cry:

If I were tougher I would not bother even giving them a go---but like most of us ,I am a bit of a softy---------just don't tell my work mates, they think I am an Ice queen :shock:

cheers pam

greenaus · **Posted:** Fri Apr 25, 2008 4:18 pm

greenaus wrote:

Regarding chooks, I'll have to see what I do over the next year or so of hatching and stuff.

So far, I'm a softie, too.

The last egg to hatch was quite a few hours after all the others. Other than pipping, about all it did was climb out of the shell. I'd helped out a fair bit over the course of the day.

The morning after I added it to the brooder, I had no idea which one it was.

The only chick in the brooder with problems is one of those from the ex-battery hen. It has crooked toes and it seems to me to have some kind of split wing deal happening.

I'm tempted to dispose of it while it is young, but the "budgeter" in me says, "What if it's a girl? It doesn't need straight toes to lay eggs".

bunyanuternie · **Joined:** Wed Jul 11, 2007 10:31 pm **Posts:** 2903

The crooked toes is more than likely to be caused by the incubator rather than a hereditry thing anyway mate , So if it lives it probably will be OK

greenaus · **Posted:** Fri Apr 25, 2008 4:43 pm

Yeah, meant to say that, too.

I'm glad that the incubator didn't affect others the same way.

AUSTRALIAN POULTRY FORUM™

Survival of the fittest

Who is on the Forum