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Is this shrinkwrapping or is this normal.... please help ASAP! pics

post #1 of 20
4/4/12 at 6:23pm
Thread Starter 

The inner membrane is wrapped around the chick and seems rubbery or thin-skin like. Is that what shrinkwrapping is?  Does this look like a normal hatch?  Humidity is 55-60%.  It has been pipped for awhile with no further activity, just lots of cheeping, so I opened the hole wider to see what is going on.  I won't touch it any more.  Please help.

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post #2 of 20
4/4/12 at 6:33pm
Thread Starter 

Even if you aren't sure, I'd love your feedback!  I can't stand this waiting!

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post #3 of 20
4/4/12 at 6:45pm

mine look like that. it should be ok. mine get out fine. just keep an eye on it

CHICKENS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  

 

My Facebook Page :P

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1821127552

 

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CHICKENS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  

 

My Facebook Page :P

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1821127552

 

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post #4 of 20
4/4/12 at 6:59pm
Thread Starter 

Thanks very much.

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post #5 of 20
4/4/12 at 7:40pm

They can take awhile after they pip to start zipping.  I've had them take a day and a half to start zipping after I seen a pip.  

 

With the top opened the chick will start drying and  can get glued inside the egg. If you help it more you risk the yolk not being absorbed yet.  I would leave it alone as long as possible and hope it gets out on its own.  If you have other eggs you put them all at risk by opening the lid.

 

Bantam Cochins & Silkies,

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I raise bantam cochins in brown red, lemon blue, lemon blue frizzle. Silkies, black, white, buff.

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Bantam Cochins & Silkies,

     Facebook            

I raise bantam cochins in brown red, lemon blue, lemon blue frizzle. Silkies, black, white, buff.

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post #6 of 20
4/4/12 at 7:51pm

Well the chick can breath so that is good. You don't want to help it out now in case the yolk sac isn't absorbed and also you need to give the blood vessels in the membrane time to recede. I would just take a slightly damp napkin and moisten the showing membrane just a little. Be very gentle while doing it then put it back in the incubator and put it in a position so that you can see it through your window. Since its beak is showing unless something else is wrong with it the little one should be just fine even if it doesn't start getting itself out. If you have other eggs in the bator I would live that little one alone until all the other babies have hatched. That way you give it time to absorb its yolk sac. Then once everyone is born and you start helping it out just do a little bit at a time just in case the blood vessels haven't receded yet. The most important thing is to be patient don't pull it out before its ready or you could hurt and don't worry as long as you have others still in there hatching. When I have one that seems to be having a problem I just make sure they can breath and then wait. Good luck, if you need help or just someone to talk to about it you can PM me.

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post #7 of 20
4/4/12 at 7:54pm

Wow, excuse all my typos. LOL!!! One more thing try not to open the incubator during lockdown. If you do there is a chance you might hurt some of the other babies. 

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post #8 of 20
4/10/12 at 11:47am

Soooo, 

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If you come across a bird’s nest beside the road, either in a tree or on the ground, and the mother is sitting on the young or on the eggs, do not take the mother with the young. You may take the young, but be sure to let the mother go, so that it may go well with you and you may have a long life.  Deut. 22:6-7

 

 

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If you come across a bird’s nest beside the road, either in a tree or on the ground, and the mother is sitting on the young or on the eggs, do not take the mother with the young. You may take the young, but be sure to let the mother go, so that it may go well with you and you may have a long life.  Deut. 22:6-7

 

 

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post #9 of 20
4/10/12 at 1:38pm
Thread Starter 

Oh it was awful.  I am seriously traumatized.  I had so many problems with so many different reasons.

 

Many of the chicks drown in their shell.  I did eggtopsies and realized (with some research) that my humidity was too high throughout the incubation. It was at 50%, which I wouldn't think was too high, but they showed EXACTLY what happens with high humidity - piped internally but not externally, couldn't turn around, jelly-like substance, heads at the small side of the shell (despite incubating in a tuner) - all the signs of high humidity.  

 

The chick in question was fine, and others like it.  I have learned that the pic I showed is most likely normal membranes.  Because...there were 2, at the end, that were shrinkwrapped and it did NOT look like this.  Now, unfortunately, I know that when they say the membrane is stuck to the chick, it is STUCK to the chick like glue.  I had to take the chick, shell and all, and run it under warm water and rub the membrane off the feathers.  It was bad.  Really.  Really.  Bad.  Stomach turnign bad.

 

I have never had such a bad hatch.  In the end the hatch rate was 38% on shipped eggs, but I have always done better than that.  I am incubating again at a lower humidity, 35-40% and I will kick it up to MAYBE 50% at the end.  I don't know.  I just am so confused at why this hatch was all over the place and soooooo bad.  I did open the incubator, but not alot, and the humidity stayed high so I don't know why those chicks were shrinkwrapped.  5 chicks died after the hatch, so I wondering if there is something genetic going on.  (They aren't Araucana, which can have some death after hatch.)

 

I had already ordered more eggs, but if they weren't already on their way, I would not incubate for a LOOONG time.  That was rough.  I am hatching right now at a lower humidity and I am not opening the top at lockdown even if a chick knocks on the incubator window and flashes a $20 bill at me.

 

Sorry for the bad news.  My lesson and good news in this:

#1 - The pic above is NOT shrinkwrapping, IMO.

#2 - I am going to go against the majority of people who focus on humidity, humidity, humidity and trust a few people who have told me lower humidity is the way to go.

#3 - We have a Jesus chicken who was in that hatch and was DEAD or at least 99% dead for 2 days.  I let it be, let it lay there not moving or even opening its eyes, couldn't cull it, and on Easter it was up and walking around eating and preening.  

 

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post #10 of 20
4/10/12 at 4:19pm

That looks like a marans egg and I have not yet figured out the specifics of hatching marans.  I have 50% hatches and too many dead chicks in shell no matter that humidity. Have a dozen under a marans broody right now so we will see if she does it better:)  I do think marans are different because our orps and EEs will hatch with good percentages and the marans in the same batch won't.

Also, re: helping chicks. I read somewhere in the archives that the act of pushing out of the shell helps in the setting of hips and feet of chicks, so if you do help, try to only help enough that the chick still has to do some work pushing to prevent splayleg.  Makes sense to me!

If I had known a few chickens would make the man THAT happy....
mom & dad,teaching our rescue BRT Bess all about chickens, EE, Orps and now marans!  The man says we are switching to orps and marans, and they'reHISchickens!
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If I had known a few chickens would make the man THAT happy....
mom & dad,teaching our rescue BRT Bess all about chickens, EE, Orps and now marans!  The man says we are switching to orps and marans, and they'reHISchickens!
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