Chick Randomly died while zipping--what happened?!

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I have two eggs left in my most recent hatch that have pipped. Last night, while I was asleep, one of them must have begun zipping. But when I got out of bed and checked on it, it didn't seem to be moving, as zipping chicks usually are. I waited a while before taking it out of the incubator. It still didn't move or chirp when I touched it and turned it. It zipped almost exactly halfway until its beak was facing the ground. But the beak wasn't through the membrane, in fact, it hadn't pierced any of the membrane from the pipping area all the way around. I used a needle to pull open the membrane and break away the shell to find the beak. When I did find the beak, it was slightly parked and still. I gently touched and rubbed the baby around the membrane and on the beak. It didn't move, and it was stiff.
I don't understand how this happened. The membrane wasn't exactly dry and crusted like it shrink-wrapped, but it was hard and rubbery. I had another chick in my last hatch that got shrink-wrapped after zipping all the way around, and she turned out fine. I had taken this one out of the incubator briefly yesterday because another chick kicked it and sent it flying across the incubator. I noticed the pip wasn't all the way through the membrane then, so I helped open it up more. My EE hens are notorious for having unfairly strong membranes and/or shells, and I worry that if I had checked on it maybe in the middle of the night I may have been able to do something. What happened? Could this happen again to my last pipped chick?

 

[AltonaAcres]

I had a chick die during zipping recently as well. My best guesses are it hit a vein that for some reason hadn't receded yet and bled out, it overexerted itself, or it was in a bad position and twisted its neck too much or something. It could have been that the air cell was saddled or somehow abnormal and kept the chick from turning properly. Especially if your chick didn't break through the membrane at first, it may just not have been a strong chick. You could do an investigation but this happens somewhat frequently and isn't too uncommon.

 

[BastyPutt]

I have two eggs left in my most recent hatch that have pipped. Last night, while I was asleep, one of them must have begun zipping. But when I got out of bed and checked on it, it didn't seem to be moving, as zipping chicks usually are. I waited a while before taking it out of the incubator. It still didn't move or chirp when I touched it and turned it. It zipped almost exactly halfway until its beak was facing the ground. But the beak wasn't through the membrane, in fact, it hadn't pierced any of the membrane from the pipping area all the way around. I used a needle to pull open the membrane and break away the shell to find the beak. When I did find the beak, it was slightly parked and still. I gently touched and rubbed the baby around the membrane and on the beak. It didn't move, and it was stiff.
I don't understand how this happened. The membrane wasn't exactly dry and crusted like it shrink-wrapped, but it was hard and rubbery. I had another chick in my last hatch that got shrink-wrapped after zipping all the way around, and she turned out fine. I had taken this one out of the incubator briefly yesterday because another chick kicked it and sent it flying across the incubator. I noticed the pip wasn't all the way through the membrane then, so I helped open it up more. My EE hens are notorious for having unfairly strong membranes and/or shells, and I worry that if I had checked on it maybe in the middle of the night I may have been able to do something. What happened? Could this happen again to my last pipped chick?

I'm always blown away that a chick survives hatching, or for that matter, is able to hatch at all.

I think there are so many things that can go wrong that we don't even know about. Probably just that chicks time I suppose.

 

[Debbie292d]

Last week I had a pipped and zipped chick die. I didn't know it was distressed as there were 13 others in there in various stages of hatched to pipped. When all hatched and dried and moved to the brooder, I had to pry this egg off the bottom of the incubator. It had died. Either it had leaked or one of the others dropped their gunk near enough for it to roll on top of it. I've never seen that happen before out of probably thousands of hatches.

I still don't see why it wouldn't have been able to push itself out because it had zipped almost the entire way around and was not shrink-wrapped as I'd never opened the incubator until the rest were ready to come out. Maybe what dried its egg to the incubator was from this little one and it shouldn't have been.