Chick pipped over 24 hrs ago

[kyzerc]

I know you are not supposed to help them out,but if they just make a hole and stop,i help them out,most live,I got up the other morning had one that just pipped and was dead. I am hatching texas a+m white quail

 

[chonsey]

Sure wish I hadn't waited so long. 12hrs max next time. Learned something new that may save another chick. How to tell when it's too soon. And how to remove the innerMembrane safely once yolk is absorbed.

 

[ChristieB]

Yeah it's a fine line between leaving it and interfering too much,

 

[chonsey]

Second chick is finally unzipping! First one is still alive and resting-think humidity wasn't high enough! Sure wish I knew what I know now about the inner membrane & blood vessels & yolk being absorbed. Looks like the humidity gauge is out of calibration when the power went out, too. I now have a wet sponge & wet towels in the incubator. Read guine chicks need 70-75% humidity for hatching.

 

[chonsey]

Second chick just about hatched. Still has part of the shell on its bottom and laying down resting. The first one is opening it's eyes, weak laying down and stretching out its neck. Gave it sugar water.

 

[chonsey]

First chick has been stretching and kicking, unable to stand - wry neck? Found a recipe that was from someone's post here at backyard chickens and tried it: honey & water & vitamin e & yolk & selenium. Second one was just sprawled out when I got home from work. GAve honey and water to the second one. They are both bouncing around the incubator, while chick number 3 is pipping upside down? Put a wet towel around the hatching chick. Had to help get some of the shell off of his face so he could breathe better, his peep got muffled, so I intervened. These chicks seemed too big for the shells, or they needed more humidity during incubating? The upside down one had a saddled air cell while developing from rough transit during shipping? Crazy looking and very big compared to the others when it was first developing. As long as they were developing, I left them in. Had humidity in the incubator around 50, now I'll be trying for 53-55. Just went and bought another thermometer with a humidity and comfort scale to put inside the incubator to compare to the gauge on top of the incubator. I just about gave up on them, kept thinking about them at work, came home found the post about the mother could have been vitamin deficient and suggested this recipe - ran out to a 24hr store and bought vitamin e and selenium - and mixed it up! Wow! What a difference!

 

[chonsey]

The first two chicks are actually on their feet. It was two days, so thankful. Third one is only partially in it's shell, some of the blood vessels aren't dried up yet. Laid him on a wet towel on the bottom of the incubator with his head out.

 

[chonsey]

Thank you for sharing that you help them out. Most seem to suggest, let nature take it's course. Well, putting eggs in a carton and then boxing them up and putting them on a truck or plane and being transported from another state to Michigan isn't exactly au naturel. And a power jolt to the incubator didn't help, glad I was there to turn down the temp when it soared. Not the little chicks fault he pipped early on account of that. Just glad, I got over my fear of helping them get hatched. Hope your hatch is successful, I love quail.

 

[chonsey]

Number three chick is up and tumbling around!

 

[chonsey]

Still waiting on egg number 4, no sign of pipping externally. Put it in water and did the float test - it is alive! Is there any way I can crack the egg and get it out safely? The other three needed all kinds of assistance. How do you crack an egg without hurting the chick inside?