24 Hours Large Pip Hole & Nothing

[Kmiller0607]

Hello. I have an egg that pipped over 24 hours ago and there is a large hole but no zip and out yet. I think the two that hatched out before this one were pecking at the hole and made it larger. See pics. Is it stuck? Do I assist? Help!

 

[CassieKell13]

I would leave it, as you can see the beak is still trying to come out. Be sure to check on it every so often, make sure it's still breathing and still trying to come out. If it gives up, then I would start to think of helping it--not until then. Does that help?

 

[MGG]

Hello. I have an egg that pipped over 24 hours ago and there is a large hole but no zip and out yet. I think the two that hatched out before this one were pecking at the hole and made it larger. See pics. Is it stuck? Do I assist? Help!

What is your humidity at? Is the beak making yawning/chewing motions?

 

[Kmiller0607]

I would leave it, as you can see the beak is still trying to come out. Be sure to check on it every so often, make sure it's still breathing and still trying to come out. If it gives up, then I would start to think of helping it--not until then. Does that help?

How long would you suggest I should wait?? Another chick has hatched. Pipped today, zipped and hatched this evening around 7:45pm. And this one is still just sitting there with it’s beak hanging out.
I went to bed last night worried I would wake to a dead chick, but it lived and now I worry going to bed again tonight. I didn’t realize how stressful this is. LOL!

 

[Kmiller0607]

What is your humidity at? Is the beak making yawning/chewing motions?

Humidity is probably on the higher end...around 80%. And yes, it is opening and closing it’s beak.

 

[BaaKaaawk]

An egg should hatch within 24 hours of pip. The membrane around the hole has likely turned leathery and thus the chick can not break through it. It will sit in the shell and breathe until it ultimately succumbs.

Your flock- but I would personally offer assistance at this point. You should manually start the zip for it, take a sharp pair of scissors and go left and right maybe an inch each side being careful not to poke anything inside. You may see some blood spots as you cut.

You can wait another couple hours and see if it has completely the zip and pushed itself out. If not, then I would open the top for it the rest of the way but leave it in the egg until it pushes itself out. This chick will likely be rather weak.

Good luck!

 

[Kmiller0607]

Yes, this was my concern also. The membrane around the beak seems to be turning a darker brown color. This is my first hatch. I don't want to mess anything up or lose a chick. :-/ We just had one hatch around 7:45 and that one needs to dry and fluff up a bit before I open the incubator to assist this chick, correct? I certainly don't want to lose two of them by trying to help the one. :-/

 

[BaaKaaawk]

Yes, this was my concern also. The membrane around the beak seems to be turning a darker brown color. This is my first hatch. I don't want to mess anything up or lose a chick. :-/ We just had one hatch around 7:45 and that one needs to dry and fluff up a bit before I open the incubator to assist this chick, correct? I certainly don't want to lose two of them by trying to help the one. :-/

I open my incubator with new chicks when I need to. As long as you pop the top back on quickly you are fine, you just don't want them to get a chill. The eggs I assist, I pull out and work on outside the incubator and then put them back in. The usually make it just fine.

If the membrane is brown and hard, your chick will not survive then without intervention in my opinion.

 

[MGG]

No! Don't open it! There's still lots of unabsorbed yolk if it's yawning. Please don't help it yet!

 

[MGG]

The eggs can quite safely and often do go 48 hours from pip to hatch. There's nothing you can do until the yolk is absorbed.