2 Shrink Wrapped--*still alive* HELP!

[bragabit]

So out of 6 white orpington eggs that made it under the broody. 2 hatched yesterday. 1 was dead this morning, but two have pipped and half zipped. They are completely shrink wrapped. The membrane is bright white incasing them. The shells are very dark and thick. I pulled the shell off about a nickle sized worth. And with a qtip moistened the membrane but didn't touch it. I don't see any veins or anything but I do want to screw it up. I got them in the bator now at 99F and 69-70% humidity. WHAT should I do?? I paid a lot for these eggs and can't afford to buy anymore

I have one egg that is a white orp with no pips or peeps.

 

[LaurenM23]

Wow...I would start by wrapping them in a moist paper towel to increase the humidity, but others (more experienced) may say to go ahead and help them out since you can see that they are ready and alive. Good luck!!!

 

[bragabit]

One has its foot/leg over its head...poor guy. Hope it can make it out.

 

[Shaun]

Had something similar happen to me once with a couple of chicks. I took 99-100 degree water- use a dairy or candy thermometer- in a bowl, submerged as much of the membrane as I could leaving the head out and gently, gently started peeling after the membrane had softened, which will take a few minutes. I kept my warm hand around the chick to make sure it stayed up out of the water enough and to help keep it warm. You will need to be VERY VERY careful around the eyes - put a drop or two of warm water in that area and don't pull!! Gentle and patient here! One I did and wasn't careful enough had his eye injured and he wound up not being able to open that eye. He got around fine even as a full grown chix. But I should have been more careful.

There will be some who will tell you to never help a chick out so only the strongest survive - but if these are all you have, this is what you work with. Good Luck!!

 

[JosieChick]

I had two maran chicks like this and I turned a hot shower on and sat in the bathroom and worked them out. You will have to use tweezers to finish zipping the shell first then keep moistening the membrane and working it off as it softens. Be really careful not to get water around their head as you could drown them! They will not get out on their own at this point but the two that I helped are healthy strong chickens and when I ever got them out of that membrane they were raring to go! I think once they have started to zip they have absorbed most of the blood because I never saw any blood vessels. Just go slowly and keep the humidity up in the room. Put them back in the bator to dry off and good luck!!

 

[bragabit]

Well update. Got some hot steamy towels, tweezers, q-tips and warm water. I zipped off the top of the shell and the chicks just popped right out. Standing up trying to walk around. So I wrapped them in the warm towels and went and put them back under broody mommy hen. She seemed pleased I brought them to her and I think they should do just fine. I hope maybe tonight she'll let me borrow one for a photo shoot.

 

[Gypsy07]

Oh, well done! Guess this was one of those times where helping out was just the right thing to do. I think if a chick is shrink wrapped and the reason it's not hatching is due to humidity issues and not an inherent weakness or genetic deficiency in the chick itself, then helping out is definitely the right thing to do. The skill is in being able to tell the difference and then being honest with yourself about it I suppose. Glad your chicks made it out and hope they do really well!

 

[LaurenM23]

CONGRATS!!!

I had a feeling that this was one of those few times helping is the right answer. In my opinion, the humidity issue here seems somewhat "unusual", so it wouldn't be the "fault" of the chick (i.e. there is not some natural process or something inherently wrong with the chick that has produced the issue). All of the threads about not helping seem focused on circumstances where the chick should not survive on its own due to a deformity or something. I would have felt compelled to jump in, too. I am so glad that you had the courage to give this a go! I hope that your babies grow into some fabulous healthy orps!

 

[megalomaniac]

Personally, I think it happens from chicks who take too long from pip to zip. once they pip, the membrane starts drying out around the pip. If they don't zip and hatch, they get shrink wrapped. Now whether that longer time from pip to zip is related to them being less strong or just a little lazy remains to be seen.

What I've found works best is to just carefully break off the shell and wet membrane from the chick, exposing the ''hopefully'' small area close to the pip which is stuck. I then run the chick under a small stream of warm water, taking great care not to get the beak wet. It takes about a minute, but the membrane will finally soften up and can then be removed. I'll usually wipe off the beak/face area with a warm paper towel, then put the soaking wet chick back into the incubator. Wrapping the egg in wet paper towels, then waiting and hoping for the best hasn't worked out well for me personally.

I usually decide to intervene if I've got a chick >24h who has pipped without hatching, yet most of the clutchmates have already hatched.

So far I'm 100% on chicks I've saved this way (minus one with obvious deformities), and all seem perfectly fine and healthy now.

 

[bragabit]

I think its been way too hot here for hatching. The coop is well over 100 degree's and that is without a fat hen sitting on the eggs. So anyways I wanted to take a picture of the chicks but mama hen is feeling kinda of protective.