STUCK CHICK? please advise asap!

[Storybook Farm]

I have a chick trying to hatch, who appears stuck. He's peeping, resting, and struggling to break free... but could he be "shrink wrapped"? Should I assist? Its only Day 21, and he can breathe just fine. He's about 90% out, but, again, seems to not be able to break free of the shell. I increased the humidity to about 80% in the bator... it had come down to 70% earlier this evening.


He's one of two shipped eggs to have made it to lockdown... no pips in the other one yet. This one seems to respond to video of peeping chicks. Should I play it continuously, or will that over stimulate? Please advise?

I took a video but I can't get it to upload.

 

[Yorkshire Coop]

If he's been trying to zip round the shell for 90 minutes and not made it out I would go ahead and finish the zip for him but let him get out of the egg on his own. Just remove the cap and pop him back in the bator.

 

[Storybook Farm]

Thanks so much for the reply! He is really 90% out of the shell. He just can't seem to break all the way out, as if the egg shell is sticking to him. Since the humidity in there is over 80%, do you think I ought to just let him rest and work it out?

 

[Yorkshire Coop]

How long has he been zipping?

 

[Storybook Farm]

Not sure what you mean exactly buy this term "zipping". What I understand by that is that the shell becomes cracked in half such that the chick can escape. He has done that part! He is lying halfway in and out of the shell. He squirms and he kicks, but he doesn't break free of the shell completely. My impulse is to just wait, but I am worried that the shell is stuck to him: a la shrink wrap. If the shell IS sticking to him, shouldn't I just wait for him to become moist enough to break free now that the humidity is 80%, or should I assist?

Maybe this will answer your question: when I went to bed, I had not noticed any activity in the bator, which is in our room, but I never checked carefully because tomorrow was day 21. It is now 1:43 a.m. of Day 21 here. I was awakened at 12:30 AM by his peeping, and he was, to my mind, completely zipped at that stage. He just seems unable to completely break free.

 

[Storybook Farm]

Here's a still picture! I can't get the video to upload. It's pretty normal except just taking extra long to completely break free...

 

[Yorkshire Coop]

Ok if it's the membrane that's stuck to him and he can't break free use a warm wet q-tip and moisten the membrane so you can peel it off him. If he's still attached by the umbilical leave him and he should break that by himself.

I can't say you should or should not help but go on your gut feeling. The higher humidity should help but if it's already glued it may not moisten enough to become unstuck.

 

[Yorkshire Coop]

Looking at his down he's starting to dry out so looks to be stuck by the membrane.

To add a vid you need to upload it to YouTube or similar then copy the link. Click the film roll icon and paste the link.

 

[Storybook Farm]

THANKS for that. I cant see his umbilical.... should I open the bator and peel using the QTip, to find out? Is there any danger to him to wait considering his head is free and je can breathe?

 

[Yorkshire Coop]

I personally dont think there is any danger as he can breathe and is pretty much fully out. I'm in general not a helper and what will be will be. The strongest heathliest chicks survive. As he stretched his head out yet?