Chick pipped the wrong end. What might happen?

[Citychick11]

The egg that was seemingly underdeveloped pipped this morning. It didn't pip in the air sac at all, but on the opposite side. A bunch of sticky egg white came out and dried all over the shell. Baby still moving and breathing. Is there anything I need to know about this positioning? I'm worried it might not make it!

 

[Tricoglossus]

I had one pip like this today, about 10 hours ago was when I first noticed it. There wasn't any white running down the shell like with yours. My chick managed to make a little progress and then stopped as it seemed to keep pecking at the same area and wasn't getting very far. It was repeatedly pushing at the shell rather than being able to unzip its way around and sounded very distressed, so I took it out of the incubator and gently helped it out of the egg. It's now drying off, and it hadn't quite finished absorbing the yolk properly when I took it out so I dabbed the umbilical area with a little dilute betadine. It's a few hours later and when I last checked it had mostly finished absorbing the yolk and it is drying out nicely and seems otherwise healthy. So when they peck at the incorrect end, they can have trouble getting out. You should definitely monitor it and be prepared to help if necessary, but don't get it out too soon as it may not be quite ready. Read the assisted hatch article on BYC before you ever try to help a chick out of it's egg - https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/step-by-step-guide-to-assisted-hatching

 

[Orca5094]

Yes, read the above assisted hatching link Tricoglossus posted up there thoroughly! The important thing right now is that it has pipped through the shell and can breathe. If you can, you might want to prop it up so that end is up a little higher so the chick doesn't drown in that fluid that's running out. There is no rush to help it out after you are sure it can breathe and not drown, so just be patient and read that entire page. It is extremely useful and teaches you what to look for and how long to wait and how to tell if it even needs help to hatch. Sometimes they can still hatch out on their own just fine.

That link saved my last duckling's life. She pipped the wrong end of her egg as well, but was unable to turn and unzip on her own. She was stuck in the same position and couldn't move. It was a very looooong process of mostly just waiting and helping very slowly, but I was able to get her out after about 36 hours from the time she initially pipped. Her yolk sac was completely absorbed (because I read that link and knew how long to wait and how to tell when she was ready). Helping too early or too quickly will kill them, so you have to be very very careful.

My assisted hatch girl is almost two months old now. She is a wonderful duck and I'm so glad I was able to save her. Good luck with your little one! ^-^

 

[Citychick11]

This morning she hatched! It was much harder for her because of her positioning. There was some blood and the umbilical was still attached. Certain parts of the shell were stuck to her like glue. After a few hours to dry off, she was still not fluffed up. Too much of that sticky white goo dried in her fuzz. So I gave her a warm bath and left the umbilical undisturbed. She should fluff up now and get stronger. Her egg was a jumbo, so she has awkward and lanky legs, neck, and feet.

She is going to look like her mamma, a white rock. Her daddy is a barred rock. e

Thanks for all the help!

 

[Tricoglossus]

Glad to hear that she got out! I am dealing with a sticky chick today. It had pipped and made a rather big hole but had not progressed by 48 hours later, which was when I got home today. I decided to take the egg out of the incubator and investigate, and what had happened was the chick had gotten very stuck where the membrane had totally dried to it like glue around the area it had pipped. I have had to give it two baths so far because it didn't dry properly after the first bath, its feathers were still stuck down all over the place and when I put it in with the other day old chicks they started to peck at it and the poor thing was being flipped over by them. So it's drying off again after bath number two, and I sure hope it dries off properly - that's if it doesn't die of stress before then. I hope you have a good outcome with your chick.

 

[Orca5094]

Glad to hear it made it out on it's own! That is always the best scenario.

 

[Citychick11]

Now she is having trouble with her legs. She was in the egg too long after pipping and her right leg doesn't support her. I've spent all day working with her so she can get her legs under her enough to stay upright in the brooder. Poor thing has been through a lot of handling today. Hope she makes it.

 

[Orca5094]

What exactly is the leg doing? Is she not able to straighten it out completely for her to stand on? Is it sliding off to the side? Is her tendon maybe out of place? Most leg issues can be fixed this early on, but you might have to do some taping in order to fix it (depends what the problem is). Have you read through this page, it's very helpful with poultry leg issues:

https://sites.google.com/a/poultrypedia.com/poultrypedia/poultry-podiatry

My assisted hatch duckling also had problems with one of her legs just after hatch, it liked to slide out to the side a bit. I had her in a tape hobble for a couple weeks (removing it and giving her a new one every couple of days to account for her growth) and the problem is now fixed. She does sometimes have a slight limp, but the leg is in the proper position now and she walks normally the majority of the time.

Anyway, read through that link and see if you can figure out what the problem is. We might be able to help figure it out if you can post some pictures (or video) of the chick and exactly what's happening.

 

[Citychick11]

Thanks for the advice. We managed to help her get her legs under her with vet wrap, but then due to other issues, she passed away. The kids were already attached to her, so that was hard.

 

[Orca5094]

Aww, so sorry for your loss.