Should I help this chick hatch or it is ok?

[evers310]

Last night about 9 or 10pm I opened the incubator to turn my eggs and I noticed that one had pipped (I didn't see it before opening the incubator because it had pipped underneath the egg so it wasnt visable till I went to turn it) anyways i hurriedly turned the others and left that one alone to preserve my humidity (its been as low as 60 but i've tried to maintain it at 80% and today is better as far as keeping it steady. i also havent opened the incubator since then) It's now 11:45 am the next morning and its made no progress that I can see although it peeps and is constantly moving its beak at the opening but thats all. (I'll attach a picture so that you can see what I see)

Using a wooden skewer and inserting it thru one of the ventilation holes in the top of the incubator I managed to turn it just a bit so I could see the hole better and i've tried keeping it moist by dropping a little bit of warm water on the area thru a straw. I am afraid the membrane is drying out too much and maybe thats why it isnt making any further progress? Last night using the pointy end of the skewer i very gently caused the membrane to rip just a little bit more and it looked like where it tore was tinged in red so I associated this with blood and immediately stopped messing with it. I did all of this without opening the incubator and this is all I have done to "help" it thus far.

The only reason I'm even considering interfering is because all my babies are my heart and I'd do anything not to lose any of them but I also completely understand that I can not save them all.

Another egg had pipped last night as well but as of this morning its started to zip without any of the egg shell falling off so I'm not that worried about its membrane.

The membrane on this egg I'm concerned about is very exposed. My instincts want me to take it out and just help pull the membrane apart while it moves around and pushes (to let it do as much of the work as possible if infact the membrane is posing the problem) but if I open the incubator to take it out, will it harm the other egg? And if I take it out, how can I keep it moist enough to not do more harm than good? Its VERY VERY humid outside as its been raining today and I live in Ga- so I thought about having a heat lamp over a box outside and help him hatch there? it isnt very humid in my house at all. Also I worry that it may not have absorbed all of its egg sac yet?.... sigh....

It isnt a weak baby. It a very cute yellow chick (probably either an orpington or a deleware baby) and is very active. You can see its membrane is dry though just by looking at it :-( Last thing I want is my very lung-healthy, active little one to exhaust itself and die on me :-(

I took these eggs from their mother 2 days ago because sadly she was stepping on the eggs, shattering their shells and the babies had to die just days before they were ready to hatch :-(

Please give me any and all advice as I'm not experienced, do not want to do more harm than good and would like your help! Thanks!

Link to larger picture: https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/UVNSIp3jTb8aaCJBgsbQlpXYquk_qaMCjwO9lAPAKWU?feat=directlink

 

[yinepu]

Quote:
it you remove the chick quickly from the incubator the other chick should be fine.. just make sure you keep the humidity of the incubator high

the membrane going transparent is a good thing. that means it shouldn't be shrink wrapped.. the membrane will be very close to the chick's body (it's very cramped in there).. so you should see breathing so long as the chick is still alive

be careful using a straw to add water to the membrane.. it's very easy to drown a chick that way

 

[evers310]

<3 Time for an update! ...and a very happy one at that!

What I ended up doing was: I went ahead and took that egg out of the incubator and worked with it as per your advice I just first started peeling back the egg shell where it had already separated from the membrane, all the while keeping the membrane moist with water and a q-tip. I then wrapped him up in warm wet papertowels and placed him in a box under a heat lamp in my brooder room where its already hot and humid. I didnt want to put him back in the incubator just because even with the papertowels on the membrane was drying out really fast and i'd have to keep opening the incubator and this way I could keep a better eye on him anyway. I'd wait a while and just keep working with the membrane as the vessels seemed to recede or dry up.

What I've come to realize is that my humidity level is too low in the incubator because the other egg that had cracked the shell finally broke thru the membrane and started going to town, zipping right along but as I kept checking on it thru the windows on the incubator I noticed that his membrane too was turning white. Same thing with a 3rd... so I've just treated all 3 the same way. Not hatching them completely out so they can still work their own way out of their shell and gain their strength. I am happy to report that chick # 2 is all fluffed out and dry

chick #3 and the 1st egg are only connected to their shell by their umbilicals and are working a bit then resting etc..

Here are 2 pictures for you! The first one is of the egg that started it all (lil blondie) and chick #2 which is now all fluffy and dry The 2nd picture is of lil blondie grasping my finger when i touched its toes omigoodness it just made my heart melt!

I have about 15 or so more eggs in the incubator so its gonna be a long weekend im sure!!!

link for larger image: https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/aqg2-m_b8hYR5j1JNWAxIpXYquk_qaMCjwO9lAPAKWU?feat=directlink

link for larger image: https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/ovuneeT2Grcph0quklx185XYquk_qaMCjwO9lAPAKWU?feat=directlink

 

[evers310]

The thing is, I didn't have them in lockdown.. I marked them with an X on one side and an O on the other so I could turn them and keep track of them; but I had taken them from their mama a few days ago because each day she was stepping on one (accidentally I'm sure..) which shattered their shell and i would find them dead :-( the 2nd day in a row this happened I took them away and gave her 2 white wooden nest eggs to brood over so she wouldnt freak out. But because I wasn't sure when they were due I didn't have a clue when i should stop turning them and start lockdown. But I knew it should probably be within 5 or 6 days so I got my humidity to 60%. Then when I saw that 1st one had pipped, i read it should be between 80 & 85% so I added papertowels under one of the holes in the top of the incubator so I could use a syringe and keep adding warm water to them. However I just figured out why my humidity level has been such a pain to keep steady and thats because what I thought was another trench in the bottom to fill with water wasn't for water afterall because it has holes in it! i hadnt noticed before because i have it sitting on our black countertops which are granite so theyre shiny and didnt even notice all of the water everywhere till i sat a papertowel down next to it and realized what was going on. so anyways, I put a little bowl in that corner of the incubator under the hole so I can continue using the syringe but it will trap any extra water and hopefully this will fix my humidity problem too!

I have 3 more cracked shells in there that I can see thru the window but doesnt look like theyve broke thru the membrane yet so I am hoping that having to raise the lid of the incubator for a few secs didnt hurt them but if i start seeing their membrane thru the cracks and it looks white... I shall start all over with which ones need me and I guess go invest in some red bull for the night! lol

BTW: all 3 of those that I helped hatch out are fluffy and active! I cant thank you guys enough!!!!!!! xx

 

[yinepu]

Quote:
Well.. don't jump in TOO soon to assist.. it's always better if they hatch on their own.. but at least now you have learned what to do for when you do have to assist a hatch..

and I'm glad the lil fuzzy butts are doing good.. keep them warm and keep an eye on them.. they should be just fine though

 

[yinepu]

Quote:
eh... tis no biggie... i'm just too stubborn to sit back and do nothing when i have a chick that needs assisting

 

[yinepu]

ok.. first.. if you're in lockdown.. stop turning the eggs

Second.. I can't tell from the pic.. but if the membrane looks like it's VERY white.. it's becoming too tough for the chick to break through..
in my experience a large pip and a weak chick will result in the death of the chick for that reason

so take a good look at the membrane.. if it looks a little dry it's ok (moist is preferred).. if it looks white and thick then you need to help the chick out.. it's a bit of a process and if done wrong WILL kill the chick

 

[Memphisjourney2seramas]

If you do help and see any blood, stop! It can die from blood loss

 

[evers310]

It does get very white and when I add the warm water to it thru the straw it goes clear again and dries out etc.. sometimes it looks yellowish like in the picture.. that was before I added water again too.

I also just noticed when using a flashlight that the membrane is kind of "breathing" with the chick so I'm worried that it could be stuck to it? How can you tell?

And If I do have to help it hatch as mentioned in my previous reply, can you please explain how to do this so it is done correctly?

My gut is telling me to do something quickly.. :-(

Will taking this egg out harm the other one thats cracked? If so whats the best thing I can do to avoid hurting it?

 

[yinepu]

if you do need to intervene ..

first wash your hands
second get some paper towels and moisten them with warm water.. also get a small dish of warn water and a Q-tip if you have one

quickly remove the egg from the incubator.. start removing JUST the shell from around the area where the chick has pipped.. only remove shell which the membrane has pulled free from
basically it's like peeling a hard boiled egg.. but you want to leave the membrane intact

IF YOU SEE BLOOD STOP.. and immediately wrap the egg with the wet paper towels (keeping them away from the chick's beak) and return it to the incubator for at least an hour

if you do not see blood but have removed all of the loose shell.. take the moistened Q-tip (or your finger) and moisten the membrane.. wrap the egg with the wet paper towels making sure you cover the membrane and return it to the incubator

if you end up removing the shell and there is no blood you can gently help the chick tear the membrane.. do it slowly.. blood means that the veins haven't closed off yet and that the chick has not absorbed the yolk

it's always better to help a little letting the chick hatch on its own than to jump in and rush things