Ahhh!!! Help! Mom opened up part of an egg!

[Maidservant]

Ok, I had brought some eggs inside to candle (the ones my broody silkie was sitting on). I was planning on putting any that were alive into the incubator, since the silkie has been having a hard time keeping them all warm. Turns out only one had development in it, but it was freezing cold! I left that one on the table to take the others out to the compost pile and my mom got too curious for her own good....by the time I got back inside she had a small hole in the large end of the egg to see how developed the chick was when it died. Well...even though the egg was freezing, the chick was still moving around under the membrane! She was as shocked as I was, so we put it in the incubator to hopefully keep it warm and alive. I can still see it moving under the membrane today, and it's warm now. It's technically on day 19, but I don't know how long it was left to get cold by the hen. I am keeping the humidity right at 55%, and hoping for the best.

Is there anything I can do? Is there a chance that this little one will survive? I made my mom promise not to open up any more eggs just because she is curious, she feels really bad about doing it, but it's been forgiven and can't be undone now. The bright side, the chick is obviously still alive and kicking, and if I do lose it, it is only one chick.

Thanks,
Emily

PS - Please don't criticize my mom, I would have probably done the same thing if I didn't know better!

 

[Akane]

I would up the humidity to 60-65% and then cover the hole in a warm damp paper towel. I've had some late ones that I chipped a hole in to see if they were still alive and then covered it over in damp paper towel if they were. They still hatch if they were going to anyway.

 

[Fudgie]

I agree with the warm damp paper towel. Keep that hole moist!!!!!

 

[Maidservant]

will do. I don't want to get the incubator humidity up too much more since I'm trying to do the dry incubation method on 25 other eggs in it! The paper towel sounds good though. Adding humidity where it's needed, but not raising the entire incubator's humidity by much. Could I lay it on it's side (take it out of the turner) under a heat lamp in an aquarium and put a small dish of water with it with a sponge in it to keep from harming my other eggs (they are on day 8)? I would still use the paper towel over it too.

Thanks,
Emily

 

[horsejody]

Quote:
If it is on day 19, it definitely should NOT be in a turner.

 

[Maidservant]

I didn't know if it could be laid down with the hole in it. I'll put it in an aquarium now. I'll also try to get a picture of it.

Em

 

[Fudgie]

I would lay it in the bator with the turner, if you are watching it, it will be fine in there, don't comprimise the egg that has the hole. Also watch that you don't suffocate the hatchling by completely covering the hole. He will be pipping soon.

I have had plenty hatch in the turner by accident and it is sort of funny to look in and see a cracked egg in one hole and a chicken bum in the next one

 

[lovemychix]

Good luck and best wishes for your baby.

 

[horsejody]

Can you moisten the exposed membrane and put it back under the hen?

 

[Maidservant]

That hen has moved her nest three times already, I don't want to risk the baby. She won't be getting any more eggs, but if she is still broody when I have my next batch hatch, she may get 3-4 chicks, since they can move with her!

I seperated the egg into an aquarium. The temp is holding steady at 100 degrees (for the life of me I cannot get it down to 99.5), and the humidity is right around 60 now. My other single chick who is a week old is mad at me right now since the aquarium was it's brooder. I wet my finger and wiped it around the hole when I put it into the aquarium to help with the humidity. It's still moving around in there!

Thanks for all of the advice and well wishes!
Emily in NC