Chick Hatched 3 Days Early!

[ameracaunagirl]

One of my eggs hatched early yesterday morning. She is 3 days early. She pipped but did not fully zip. Instead of pushing out of the shell she started chipping away at it. After about 8 hours, only her head and some of her back was visible. At that point I was worried so I opened the bator to check on her. She was still cheeping but her whole back had dried to the shell. I pulled away almost all of the shell leaving her in the membrane. I used a damp cloth to moisten it and put her back in the incubator. After another an hour she finally pushed out of the membrane. A small amount of yolk was still unabsorbed. I wrapped her in a moist towel and left her in the incubator. Most of the yolk absorbed and now she is in the brooder. She seems to have almost no energy. When she stands, she can only take a step or two before she drops back down. I've been dipping her beak in water but I fear it is not enough. She pecks at the food but does not get much and so far she hasn't gotten water on her own. Every once in a while she will fall on her back, she can't get up without assistance. Will she be okay? Should I just leave her be or is there anything I should do for her? Sorry for the long description but I just wanted go make sure I got everything. Thanks in advance for any advice.

 

[Broody Queen]

I would try putting a little bit of sugar in her water to give her some energy and boiling an egg and feeding her the yolk, i dont know what to say about the falling over, i am no expert when it comes to sick chicks...
Sorry i couldnt be very helpful, good luck and please keep us posted.

 

[ameracaunagirl]

Thanks. She's doing a whole lot better today. She's up, walking around and peeping! I just haven't see her drink on her own but I'm sure she has while I'm not looking.

 

[themenagerie]

I had one like that with this hatch, same thing... pipped, zipped a bit, then quit. After 24 hours with no progress, I helped her zip, she still had a small yolk sac.. I put her in a cup in the incubator with a damp paper towel to help her absorb the yolk and keep her from getting trampled by the other chicks. . After a few hours, she'd absorbed the yolk. She was weak compared to the others for the first couple days, kept falling back on her hocks like it was too much effort to walk. She also had curled toes/twisted feet, so I've been making "shoes" for her. I'm happy to say that after 4 days..she's running around on normal feet and is no different than any of my other chicks. Sometimes they just need a little bit of help. Good luck with your peep.