Chick Coming out the Wong Way?

[catlover8976]

Hi everyone,

Ok first my first ever chick in an incubator is starting to hatch but I'm worried about it, (Naturally) as I don't know what should happen as normally I don't get to see what's going on apart from an angry mother hen's beak coming towards me.

The chick has made it's first little hole near the side nearest the ground, it seemed to missed the air sack and I'm worryed, the tip of it's beak is peaking through and it occasionly cheaps and I can see it's beak opening and closing as it breaths. It's been like this all day and hasn't made any progress. Should I try and moisten the membrain around the opening to help it before I go to bed or should I leave it?

The air sack also to me when candled seems too small. On all the other eggs they are much larger but this chick seems to have the short straw with it's predicament.

And one more thing, I had expected the eggs to hatch on Friday, mostly because I didn't know when the eggs had been laid and not keeping very good track of the days it's been in the incubator so unfortunately this means I have been turning the eggs every day up to this point. I fear I might have twisted them round or something dreadful now and wonder if this is why the chick missed the air sack.

Please tell me what you think will happen to my chick and what I might do to help if any is needed.

Thanks.

 

[silkiechicken]

Leave it be and just wait, no need to keep peeking as the humidity might drop too much. If the peep popped a hole in the side, it has already gotten into the air sac the night before. In the air sac is step one, outside the egg is step too. It's head and beak will be under it's wing and it will be all mushed up inside the egg. Just close up the bator and don't touch it for the next 3 days or so. Make sure the humidity is high and don't worry about extra turning as the chicks that first hatch will play ping pong with the later hatchers. If you set them all on the same day, does not matter when they were laid, they all should hatch around the same time. From that little hole in the egg, it can take 24 hours to hatch. Hold on tight, get some coffee, read a book, take a nap, it's a slow process.

 

[catlover8976]

Well our incubator is see through so I can see the progress without having to lft it which is a great joy for otherwise I know I would have been lifting it all the time.

Something that might be a problem is we don't have a man-made brooder so we don't have anywhere to put the chicks. Would they be accepted by one of our broody hens if I placed one under her? One has been sitting for 5 days and the other around 19 but she's a bantam and the chicks are Brahmas which might be a problem as they get bigger.