Chick hatched with cherry-sized yolk unabsorbed

[paxfarms]

I had a chick hatch today with the yolk unabsorbed. It hatched on it's own. I haven't opened the incubator at all since lockdown began on Wednesday. The unabsorbed portion is about the size of a cherry and the yolk is still attached to the shell by a thread. Do I need to do anything?

 

[Pyxis]

Can you post a picture? It will hopefully dry up and fall off on its own without causing trouble, but it'll help to be sure if you can post a picture of it

 

[paxfarms]

 

[paxfarms]

The yolk busted. Is that bad or is that okay? Does it change anything now? Is there anything I need to do? The chick is still in the incubator.

 

[aart]

The yolk busted. Is that bad or is that okay?

Bad, it won't survive.

 

[paxfarms]

Bad, it won't survive.

Thank you.

 

[FoodFreedomNow]

You've probably already searched for threads on the topic (and there are many), but there are posters in this one that apparently had chicks that burst their unabsorbed yolk sacs and still survived.

If you run into a situation like this again, you could try putting the chick into a cup until it absorbs the yolk. It will (ideally) keep the chick still until absorption is complete. Since you said that your chick's sac has already ruptured, you could try putting some triple antibiotic ointment without pain reliever on it or coconut oil on the area to facilitate closure/healing.

Best of luck to both of you.

 

[Al Capon]

If the yolk ruptures, can it be tied off like you'd do with an umbilical cord?

 

[paxfarms]

I tied it off with dental floss. The chick is up, walking around well, and not having any issues so far. I had a chick in the last hatch that didn't absorb all of the yolk, but did absorb most of it. I did all I could and I thought it was going to survive, but it died at 6 days old. I guess I'll have to wait and see.