Chick having trouble hatching!

[whitesilkies]

This is a chick in a egg on day 24. She is breathing but there are no chirps to be heard. So we decided to crack the egg a bit so he could have some help and one day later nothing had happened! So I went through the egg shell, through the outer air sack and looked at the inner air sack. I can see the beak flat against the sack and there is still no chirping. He's been laying there all day and nothing is happening. I know he's not going to be able to hatch by himself but I don't think I can cut through the inner air sack as it may kill her. Please help!

 

[chickenlife01]

When faced with that type of situation I always say a slim chance is better than no chance. He/she may be very exhausted due to the difficulties that come with hatching. Much longer in that egg is gonna kill it though. When you peel a bit of membrane, do you see blood?

 

[chooks4life]

Hard to say. I have had chicks hatch at 14 days and some that took over 21 but 24 days is a long time. Are you absolutely sure you've got the dates right? Is there any chance this one could have been exposed to sub-brooding temperatures which caused it to stop developing and go into a dormant mode as it awaited the temperature rising again? This can cause it to be developmentally younger than its chronological age.

I wouldn't have cracked the egg personally, though I do understand your reasons for doing so. I would have waited until there was at least a day's worth of the chick working to hatch after it had cracked the egg itself. Cracking the egg won't provoke a chick to hatch if it's not ready.

How do you know it's breathing? I'm guessing you can see its belly moving? If its beak is flat against the membrane but not trying to break it, I would guess (and I may well be wrong) that it would be best to break the membrane for it... Given how old you believe it to be. If you're sure it's as old as you think. If you're not sure, maybe candle it and see if you can see any un-absorbed yolk. If it looks like it's ready then maybe it is, but if it's taking no steps to hatch there is a chance that for whatever reason the chick is a dud. Recently a panda had a baby who looked normal but had no brain. Chemicals can have the most interesting side effects. Silkies, from what I've heard, often have duds, especially the closer you get to SOP. Just cracking the shell, just perforating the membrane, or even just hatching it won't guarantee it will quicken.

If you find more info from more knowledgeable folks would help. (Sorry I'm not that helpful here, just trying to offer what little I know on helping chicks hatch who otherwise wouldn't --- I have done that before). Best wishes and I hope it hatches. If it does hatch and does live though I would mark it in the journal as being a likely non breeder due to the risk it may pass this on. I'd probably test it but it could produce more of the same.

 

[chickenlife01]

Just to offer a little hope. This was a late bloomer. I hatched him myself. I gave him. 24 hours to hatch after he pipped and then took it in my own hands as he was a special one. I was trying crossbreeding and he was the first and only one from that hatch. He is now 4 months old and just as healthy as the other chicks!

https://www.backyardchickens.com/content/type/61/id/5939364/width/200/height/400[/IM]

[IMG]https://www.backyardchickens.com/content/type/61/id/5939365/width/200/height/400

 

[whitesilkies]

He was set in the incubated with four other eggs at the same time and the other four are out and are in their brooder. They all had the same temperature and humidity. I know he's breathing because I can see movement through the air sack and when I p,ace a finger on him you can clearly tell he is alive. I'm going to wait till tomorrow and if nothing has happened then I think it might be best to take a little bit off the inner air sack where his beak is and see what happened.

 

[chickenlife01]

I would at least open it so he can get fresh air tonight. You don't want to suffocate him. I'm hatching right now. So awesome seeing the babies come out!!!

 

[chooks4life]

I am no expert in this area but I think if he's showing breathing now, he's using up his oxygen supply and will need the air sac broken so he can get new oxygen. As far as I know he's not supposed to be breathing visibly before he's pipped the air sac inside the shell. But he hasn't. Maybe his 'breathing' is some sort of spasming. It could be the usual wriggling in the shell they do when trying to hatch though. But just breathing before the air sac's been pipped into should not be occurring... After all, what's he breathing in? :/ There's no free oxygen in the egg, per se.

It's strange he's not pipped the sac yet. I think it may be a dud for whatever reason but of course we won't know until you find out whether or not he hatches tomorrow, or whatever. All the best, sorry to sound so negative.

Quote: He's cute. I've got a few I hatched who needed help through no fault of their own.

When I said before that it might not be worth breeding if it reaches adulthood, I was trying to be realistic, not suggest that it doesn't deserve a chance. I too keep various animals that would be culled if evaluated by commercial standards. Not every animal should be judged on its issues as though they were its inherent fault, since a good breeder can be just that despite getting injured. We don't yet know if the late bloomer was that because of some fault in itself.

 

[buttercup95]

Also if the humidity is too low the egg might be too stiff and sticky for him to get out.

 

[chickenlife01]

How are things going? I had 13 beautiful babies when I got home today! I LOVE hatching.

 

[amiles]

Try giving the parents a drop of iodine in their water per gallon. It worked for my pigeons