CHICK NOT HATCHING. The egg is still moving, but it is DAY 30!!!!!!

[sugarbitsaustin]

This is the most odd thing that has ever happened while hatching chicks.

It is Day 30, YES, Day 30! The egg has be moving for 3 days now. But there is no sign of internal pip. My chicks always hatch day 20-21. Ive never heard of a chick surviving this long in the egg. Any suggestions? Should I help somehow? Since it has not internally pipped, I don't even think I can help it.

Here is the eggs story:

It was kept under momma Hen the first 16 days. Then I noticed she accidentally cracked it. Luckily it was just a shell crack and didn't go into the membrane. So I used Candle wax to fix the crack. And then decided it was best to put it in my incubator. For 3 more days I kept the humidity at 45%, then bumped it up to 65% on day 19. The egg started to move on day 18-20. Then it stopped. Still nothing happening as far as internal pipping. It didn't move for another 2 days. I thought, it must have died somehow, but decided to leave it in the incubator just in case. I never give up on an egg until I see the ooze coming out of the egg pores. But on day 22, it started to move again. The egg moved again for another 2 days then stopped. Finally it started moving again on day 27. It has still been moving ever since, and it is now DAY 30!

I really don't know what to do. Can you help an chick out if it has never internally pipped?

Please help!

 

[sugarbitsaustin]

I should also mention, this is a Silkie Chick. And the air sac seems to be about 1/3 the size of the egg. This was the only egg, so I do know how old it is. She actually hid it from me, and when I found it, it was as Day five of developing. So I let her keep it to hatch.

 

[Ardizonne]

You could make a Small crack in the egg to help the chick out. It's most likely weak and that's why it would need help. Or if you don't mind culling it, that's an option. The candle wax also may have re unforced the shell

 

[sugarbitsaustin]

I thought about pipping the shell for it, but didn't know if I could, since it has NOT internally pipped. Is it ok to pip the shell if it hasn't internally pipped?

 

[Ardizonne]

I have done it a couple times for quail. This will let it more light and the chick will by instinct move towards it. It's better if you try, I don't know if the chick is even healthy from that first enitial crack. Let me know

 

[sugarbitsaustin]

I pipped the egg, and saw the chick was super shrink wrapped. Must have been from the Crack momma hen accidentally made. Sadly the chick did not make it. We live in Colorado, so we do not have a lot of humidity. I should have moved the egg to my incubator once I noticed it developing under my hen at day 5. Now I know.