Crap! Please help me with this

[Keggen]

It is day 23+ for some of my incubating eggs. I started candling the ones that haven't pipped and found 3 dead, so I opened them to see what happened.

On my 4th egg I noticed after breaking through the air pocket on top that there was no movement so I gently started to *barely* touch the membrane planning to open it to see what happened. When I just lightly brushed it it started to bleed, them a little bit of movement! Aaaagh!

I quick did a sprinkle with flour but I think I used too much. I then wrapped it in a wet paper towel and put it back in the incubator, but I'm afraid I've done enough damage to kill this chick!

What should I do? The flour is over done, will it make it impossible for the chick to get out? Should I rinse it with warm water? Leave it?

Ugh I feel sick about this. How stupid of me!

 

[sumi]

See if you can get that flour out so you can see what you're dealing with in there. Don't rinse it! You could drown the chick. Shake out as much as you can and use a wet q-tip to wipe it. Remove as much of the shell above the air sac as you need, but don't tear the inner membrane, as this is where the blood vessels are. If you can see the chick's beak make sure it's clear so the chick can breathe and then put it back in the incubator with the wet paper towel. Have a look here:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/step-by-step-guide-to-assisted-hatching

 

[Ms Steak]

I just want to wish you luck.

 

[Keggen]

Thank you!!!

 

[Keggen]

The poor thing died. The only small sort of good thing was that this chick would have died anyway because for one it was mal-positioned, kind of upside down.

Even worse, I am pretty sure that its brain was partially or totally outside the skull. Totally freaky looking, I have no idea how that could have happened!

 

[sumi]

I'm so sorry

 

[bobbi-j]

The poor thing died.

The only small sort of good thing was that this chick would have died anyway because for one it was mal-positioned, kind of upside down.

Even worse, I am pretty sure that its brain was partially or totally outside the skull. Totally freaky looking, I have no idea how that could have happened!

Yeah, usually if they haven't hatched within 22+ days, they most likely won't without help, because there is something wrong. I've tried assisting once or twice, and it has never ended well, so now I just leave them alone. I figure it's Nature's way of keeping the strong, and weeding out the weak. At least you tried to give it a chance, and found out what was going on with it.

 

[Keggen]

Thanks. I figured at the end of day 23 most of them would be a no-go so I was surprised by this one.

I wonder what could have happened for it to develop like this? I purchased the eggs locally and the chickens there appeared healthy. Most of the eggs were porus and I've had a slightly higher death rate this hatch, but nothing in incubating led me to think there would be problems like that. Temp was right on the entire time and humidity was good, can't remember exactly but it was low 30s I think.

I have 2 more chicks that are way behind and struggling to hatch. They had both pipped internally but many hours went by with no external pip. (I could hear them cheeping in the egg) so I gave them an air hole. Hours later, nothing so I opened the air section even more.

They both look fairly normal I think but one has not opened its eyes at all even though it is chirping and making lots of noise and I can see its face. Makes me think it is behind developmentally?

I wonder if it is the eggs because I got others from another breeder and they have had a 100% hatch rate and these Welsummers are much lower, maybe 70% at a guess.

 

[bobbi-j]

Hmm, could be the eggs. That's the thing about incubating. You can do the same thing every time, and have such a difference in hatch rates. Sometimes you can guess - if the power went out, severe temp. spikes or drops for extended periods - and other times.... It's anybody's guess.

 

[Ms Steak]

I am so sorry.