Ameraucana chicks pipping upside down

[verycherry]

I\'ve had chicks with \"eyebrows\" before, but this one has more than the norm!  Just had to show it off.

I hatched 7 Ameraucana chicks Monday, but three were upside down in the shell and pipped at the bottom.  They didn\'t have much room to move and after a good wait I had to help them get out, and one didn\'t make it.

What would have caused this?  They were my eggs, not shipped.  I\'ve only seen this in shipped eggs.  I\'ve also hatched quite a few from the same birds and have only had one pip kind of low, around the middle, so this was totally unexpected.

The only thing that went wrong during the incubation was a spike for a very short period of time.  I started these eggs in my cheaper LG until I could get them in the better bator (which was full), and during the time they were in the LG I found them once at 105 degrees!  Like I mentioned, it was for a very short time, but could that have caused it?  I sure hope this isn\'t a genetic thing, because not only could they not get out, but they were kind of squashed looking for an hour or so.

By the way, the Marans chicks in the same bator pipped correctly, as did the other 4 Ameraucanas.

[Beth C]

Way cute! Between the eyebrows & the white chin/chest it looks like a tiny little Santa!

I\'ve been curious about the upside-down pipping, too. I\'ve had several with my own eggs as well, mostly my EEs last year. I\'ve also had other weird things, like egg sacs in the wrong end of the shell, or in the middle (like the bubble in a level, except it was attached) that I only expected to see from shipped eggs.

[verycherry]

Beth, the girls and I called it Santa and Old Man when we first put it in the brooder, and then remembered it could be a female, which I believe it may be.  I don\'t know any names for bearded ladies, lol!

By the way, I hatched these upright, with the pointed end down of course, as I usually do.  The 6 are still doing well.

To give you some idea of how cramped the 3 were, after one of the chicks managed to pip, it looked like it\'s beak was a little crooked and the bottom longer than the top, and it had a weak sounding peep.  I wasn\'t going to help it out since I thought it was deformed or had a genetic defect, but several hours later it had somehow turned around in the shell....still not able to zip out but turned about 180 degrees.  I opened the egg up, and the chick\'s beak was fine and it acted as normal as could be.  It had just been so smashed.  

My girls have started laying super well again so I refilled the bator (The Brinsea, NOT using the LG again except as an emergency backup) Friday with about 2 dozen Ameraucana eggs.  I hope all goes smoothly this time.

[Beth C]

I don\'t know what\'s going on this year. I have had the most dismal hatches, chicks malpositioned, not even breaking through into the air sac, or pipping and getting stuck, and about 50% of the chicks that have hatched had to be helped at some point. I suspect it may be due to the wicked hot, dry weather so early in the season, since last years hatches were great, and the first hatch of this season was perfectly normal, but every hatch since has been awful, and just as bad with my own eggs as with shipped. Except, of course, for the 3 dozen  eggs (shipped in 2 boxes) that arrived with every single air sac detached, ruptured, or both, in spite of  excellent packing. Can\'t really top that one. Never realized postal workers had access to paint mixers...

[verycherry]

I had a great hatch this past week, and no pipping upside down, thank goodness.  I don\'t know what happened with the previous hatch, but the only thing that went awry was the temp spike.  I don\'t know if that could have done it or not, but since this hatch was good, I\'m not going to be concerned unless it happens again. (I posted a chick photo on the Lavender Breeding thread.)

[Beth C]

Awesome! Glad it appears to have been a fluke. Gorgeous babies!