Membrane Drying Out - 24 hr. Zip Attempt

SOS! Day 23. I have a peep trying so hard to escape its shell. Pipped on the evening of the 21st. Very late last night at the 24 hour mark, I attempted to help with the zip. It appeared then that the gray membrane was like rubber. I had not opened the shell at all, only continued with the small zip around the egg. This little one has continued to chirp the entire time! I figured I had lost it last night, but this morning still chirping. I just attempted to help out more, but the membrane is Glued to its head. At the bottom of the shell there is soggy yolk! What in the world to do now? It just keeps chirping!

JillZ said:

SOS! Day 23. I have a peep trying so hard to escape its shell. Pipped on the evening of the 21st. Very late last night at the 24 hour mark, I attempted to help with the zip. It appeared then that the gray membrane was like rubber. I had not opened the shell at all, only continued with the small zip around the egg. This little one has continued to chirp the entire time! I figured I had lost it last night, but this morning still chirping. I just attempted to help out more, but the membrane is Glued to its head. At the bottom of the shell there is soggy yolk! What in the world to do now? It just keeps chirping!

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Use a wet q- tip and moisten the membrane and any area where it's stuck. Are you sure you're seeing yolk or could it just be egg goo??

I have done things a little differently then others when this happens to me. At this point it is probably an emergency to me to get the chick out. I have had success with a couple that this has happened to by holding the egg in my hand over really warm water not too hot for me and slowly descending my hand and part of the egg that is not cracked down in the water slightly for a few seconds or minutes. I think the warm water increases the blood circulation in the eggs and gives the chick some boost of strength and rehydrates the egg to some extent. I do make sure the room is very warm at this time. If the chick doesnt respond with movement and only chirps then I start chipping away at the parts of the egg that are exposed and out of water towards the upward position. If at any time I would hear a quick crack then I pull egg up and out of warm water quickly!! Watching out for blood vessels while chipping. If I get the chick out and it is moving and chirping I place in incubator quickly. While it is warming and resting I get paper towel wet with hot water and slightly rung slightly dripping and place in incubator near chick and leave it for hour or two. Then if egg parts and rubbery pieces still attached I remove chick and slightly rub it's down feathers to get the junk off and to fluff it up. This has worked for me but if your not comfortable that is understandable. In my case they had dried rubber stuck to them in the egg and way past hatch date. I have read where others have taken half of the egg off and put another new egg half on but I havent read anything on that since and dont know the success with that. I did this when I knew that it would not survive if stayed in the egg much longer. I hope this helps

Thank you for responding. It certainly has been an ordeal! He has survived. But still doesn't look very good as far as survival. I did very similar to you. After 36 hours I basically peeled sac off with tweezers. Only the parts that would come out without pulling feathers. Then ran him under warm water to try to get more off. Then incubator again. Today he is out of the incubator and in the brooder. Has pooped but not really drinking other than dropper. I think he has wry neck. He has a really hard time standing for long and walks wobbly still. Giving him chick sav in droppers. I'm not sure that it was a good idea to help him to be honest. It may have been nature's way. I just couldn't let him die. BTW gave him another soapy bath this morning and blow dried. I think he will need about five more baths before I can get all the dried, hard sac off. I know that most would cull at this point. For me, just not an option. How did yours turn out in the end???

Update,
He made it.

After 3 days of super intense care, including grinding selenium pills to an almost powder and adding to his feed, using a dropper to alternately give water and chic sav, talking to him, holding him with closed fingers about three times a day (trying to simulate the enclosure of an egg), separating him from siblings, and including a fake mother aka stuffed furry puppy (which he hides under, stands on, etc.)

I am really happy to say that he is scratching for food, drinking out of his water lid, flapping wings, is very alert, and seems to be happy.

He is 1/3 the size of other chicks from his hatch.

Integrating with siblings on day two was stupid. They immediately attacked him. But after integrating just one chick into HIS brooder box for an hour seemed to work well. Will slowly work that time up every day. I think he'll be fine with the other chicks in a week or two.

His crooked spine and neck are straight!

My conclusion is that unless you have all kinds of time to nurture a week or assist in a hatch, this wouldn't be possible. On the other hand, if you do and want to, you may end up with your favorite chick of all. He certainly is ours.

PS: This whole process was nerve wracking. I would NOT do this again. (Until I do!)

Wish you the best of luck, glad he made it through. I'm new to incubating this spring, and am hoping for stress free hatches.

Coop77 said:

Wish you the best of luck, glad he made it through. I'm new to incubating this spring, and am hoping for stress free hatches.

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Thank you. Try to remember that in nature there are unsuccessful hatches too. Incubating is truly amazing to do. Just breathe and enjoy.