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 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?