Pip, Zip & Out Help

I've got 5 Americauna eggs in lockdown. They are big side up in an egg crate that I cut the bottom out of. Today at 9pm is 21 days. 2 of my eggs pipped last night about 9pm. This morning around 5-6am one had 1/2 way zipped. I can see in the egg and the little chick is making lots of noise. How long until he/she comes all the way out? When should I intervene? I have an ultra sonic humidifier in there that I can turn on and make it real humid if I have to open the bator. The other egg that pipped last night hasn't done much since. It's just now started sticking it's little beak out and making the hole bigger. My first hatch, none made it to lockdown. This is my second hatch. I'm a nervous wreck. HELP!

Now is the time for patience! This is always the hardest part. I've had chicks do nothing for so long after they pipped that I was sure they were dead. 24 hours or so is perfectly normal and I've heard of 48 hours and then hatching just fine.

The problem with helping is it usually doesn't go well. A frequent reason chicks wait to finish hatching is they are not done absorbing their yolk and need more time. If that is the case and you help the results are not pretty. Try to remember... the chick does not need to eat or drink right now. If they have pipped they are breathing. So take a deep breath and let the chick do what it needs to do.

Having said that, I do have one question for you. If I understand what you said, they are in an egg carton with holes cut in the bottom for air. I hatch in egg cartons, and when I do so I cut them way down so that there is no carton left in the area they will be pipping and zipping. Then I also cut holes in the bottom for air. What I end up with is like a bunch of circles that are connected.

My question is... is your carton in the way of the chick zipping? If so, since you believe you can keep the humidity up, I would consider making a new one like I described and then swap them out. To do the swap I would open the bator just enough to get my hand in and do the whole swap inside and get my hand back out and the bator closed as quickly as possible. Keeping both temp and humidity up is important, so be sure to think things through carefully before you start.

Let me know how it goes! (Actually I'm hoping you say they had already hatched on their own before I wrote this!!!)

The one I was really concerned with (am still concerned with) had not hatched on it's own. I had to intervene and I'm glad I did. My humidity must have dropped at some point last night and it was completely stuck to the inside of the egg (around the top 1/2), I realized that it hadn't moved positions all day long. I got a qtip and warm water and cranked up the humidity with my ultrasonic mister and opened the bator and got him out real quick. I got him unstuck from the top of the shell and moistened around the opening and put him back and he popped right out after about 5 mins. Now he's wallering in the bator. I hope he makes it. He (or she) has a very loud chirp.

The other is zipping down the side of the egg, i was just going to leave that one alone, but I did notice after all day of trying to get out he started blowing bubbles. So I moved the egg so that his beak was clear of fluids. There is still lots of fluid in the shell, I can see him moving all around and turning, so hopefully he'll come out soon.

the egg crate thing, no I didn't do that, It could very well be in the way of them pipping. I have another. I'll fix it.

Still waiting on 3 to pip

Thank You so much!

You have good instincts!

Yes... once they are stuck to dried membrane they need help. I used to have that problem until I got serious about staying looked down during lockdown. This year I've hatched more chicks than I care to admit, and only one got stuck and needed unglued.

Here's the interesting part... my chick that needed unglued was a chick with bubbles coming out/almost drowned in his own bubbles just like your bubbly chick. My daughter and I were peaking in to check on the hatch when we saw the chick with bubbles OVER it's beak. I honestly think we looked in at just the right time or he would have drowned! Throwing all the rules about lockdown out, we opened the incubator wide and grabbed the egg and I tilted it to get the beak "above water." I blotted as many bubbles away as I could and then returned it to the incubator. I misted in the incubater to get the humidity back up and closed it all down again.

The rest of the hatch continued as though nothing had happened, but this chick's bubbles seemed to turn to glue and so he was stuck and I had to assist. I gently moistened a couple of times and he was able to hatch. He didn't fluff right, so had a warm bath a day later. I could identify him for a while by the glued together down on the top of his head. Once he was out he turned out to be as healthy and vigorous as the rest of the hatch.

My understanding is the bubbles are caused by humidity being to high during incubation which means the egg didn't evaporate enough. Since my chick was one out of 42 that hatched and nobody else had that problem I assume it had to do with something about that individual egg.

I'm sharing all of this because I have a theory that your stuck egg and your bubbly egg could be related in cause. If your humidity was a little high during incubation that can cause excess liquid which can lead both to bubbles AND to a stuck chick. You are probably right that a dip in humitity at the end dried the "glue." If I'm right your chick probably didn't fluff normally. If your chick is all fluffy then you can just toss my theory!

How's everyone doing today?

as a matter of fact, the one that i helped is fluffy in spots, but kinda looks like a drown rat!

The other chick hatched on its own. I was going to help it this morning, when I went in and checked it looks a little stuck, when I touch the top of the egg, i realized it was detached and ready to fall off, so I just put it back down and the little guy popped out about an hour later. he's still not fluffy and has some membrane stuck on his back. will take care of that tomorrow when I move them to the brooder.

I still have nothing from my other 3 eggs, i bet they won't hatch, but these were all shipped eggs and they wound up spending an extra day in the post office due to my driver forgot them. So 2 out of 12 total eggs, only 5 made it to lockdown.

Shipped eggs are hard! Be happy about the ones you did get!

If the chicks are relatively fluffy, i'd just leave well enough alone. If a little membrane is still stuck the other chick will probably pick it off.

I'd love to see a pic of your babies!

the one that we helped is super strong. the one that made it out on it's own has a bulge on the back end and crooked foot. If it makes it i found some forums on how to fix it, so we're rooting for him.

Such sweet babies! Give yourself a pat on the back for a job well done!!!

I think your strong one is likely to be fine. I wish I could offer insight for the one with the lump, but I haven't seen that before. If I were to make a guess... it looks like yolk in color, so could be the recently absorbed yolk. If so the lump will probably just continue to be absorbed and disappear. What seems odd or to not quite fit with that theory is the placement on its back. I guess time will tell.

I would not try to clean up their "hair gel" until they are stronger, if at all. It is really a cosmetic thing and right now they need no additional stress.

Do keep a close eye for pasty butt. For whatever reason those that struggle with their hatch seem more prone to it.

I'm sending good vibes for your babies! And for you... keep hatching!!! You have good instincts and will learn more from each hatch.

thank you so much.

I did go get some Poly Visol (infant vitamins w/o iron) and gave him a drink of water with a drop or two of vitamins in it. He got a spurt of energy. I tried splint his foot earlier today and he stood up just fine, but then the other one wouldn't' leave his foot alone, so I took it off. I'll separate them tonight and splint his foot. I'll give him some vitamins for a few days and see if that helps him.