Chick stuck in egg in weird position

[Raven Morgoth]

Hello crazy chicken enthusiasts, I have a question. I've already incubated several batches of bantam chicken eggs. Currently, I’m incubating Sebright eggs, and one of them pipped 2 days before the planned hatch date. Not only did it break through the shell on the opposite side of the air sac, so I waited for it to hatch on its own but it stuck. After 24 hours with no progress, I decided to help. I locked myself in the bathroom, where I increased the humidity and temperature, and gently started chipping away at the shell. The little chick was twisted inside the egg like origami, with one leg behind its head and the other tucked under itself. It emerged from the shell with my help, with the yolk already absorbed and the umbilical cord dried. Right now, it’s resting under a warm water bottle. I gave it a few drops of water with electrolytes. It’s lifting its head and responding but still looks weak from the whole ordeal. I hope the little one feels better soon and stands on its feet. Right now, it’s resting a lot. Has anyone encountered such a positioning of a chick in the egg? And one more question: The chick is supposedly a Sebright, but it has long, curly down like ringlets. I’m not sure if it’s really a Sebright, and it’s very tiny.

 

[Debbie292d]

I don't know what breed it is, but it sure is a little cutie.

I've never had quite that problem, but I hatch a lot of eggs, mostly my own but a lot of shipped eggs too. I've had one with really bad hip issues and thought I might have to cull it, but I put it back in the incubator in the afternoon and left it overnight, and it was amazing the difference in that chick the next morning, after about 18 hours in the incubator.

If you have Nutra Drench or Poultry Cell (vitamins) I'd put that in their water.

I feel strongly that if you put it back in the incubator and let it sleep and heal up for several hours. You should see improvement.

 

[Raven Morgoth]

I don't know what breed it is, but it sure is a little cutie.

I've never had quite that problem, but I hatch a lot of eggs, mostly my own but a lot of shipped eggs too. I've had one with really bad hip issues and thought I might have to cull it, but I put it back in the incubator in the afternoon and left it overnight, and it was amazing the difference in that chick the next morning, after about 18 hours in the incubator.

If you have Nutra Drench or Poultry Cell (vitamins) I'd put that in their water.

I feel strongly that if you put it back in the incubator and let it sleep and heal up for several hours. You should see improvement.

Thanks for advice Debbie, I did exactly that, its resting in the incubator, However I noticed It has a very tiny head. Compared to the chicks that hatched from the same batch, its head is half the size. I gave it some water with vitamins and booster for newly hatched chicks, it drinks and chirps, but it is floppy and doesn't lift its head, and sleeping/resting almost all the time. I don't know what to do next. I have a feeling that it might be deformed or have a head defect. I will give it another several hours. Maybe it's because it was twisted in the egg, started hatching prematurely, and from the wrong side of the egg. Perhaps it wasn't meant to hatch at all, and I helped it

 

[Debbie292d]

Time will tell. I think you're doing swell! I'd just let this one take its time to catch up. You could be right, and it could be something developmental, but also, it may just go away on its own in a day or two.

 

[B_Chickle01]

Thanks for advice Debbie, I did exactly that, its resting in the incubator, However I noticed It has a very tiny head. Compared to the chicks that hatched from the same batch, its head is half the size. I gave it some water with vitamins and booster for newly hatched chicks, it drinks and chirps, but it is floppy and doesn't lift its head, and sleeping/resting almost all the time. I don't know what to do next. I have a feeling that it might be deformed or have a head defect. I will give it another several hours. Maybe it's because it was twisted in the egg, started hatching prematurely, and from the wrong side of the egg. Perhaps it wasn't meant to hatch at all, and I helped it

It does look like it has some kind of deformity. I noticed right away bc the top of its eyes look like they're buldging almost. And I'm not certain of the breed, but it doesn't look like either of my sebrights. Two on left with the brown are golden laced sebrights and right are silver laced.

 

[Raven Morgoth]

It does look like it has some kind of deformity. I noticed right away bc the top of its eyes look like they're buldging almost. And I'm not certain of the breed, but it doesn't look like either of my sebrights. Two on left with the brown are golden laced sebrights and right are silver laced.

In the end, it turned out that only this one it wasn't a Sebright but some strange mix. Unfortunately, despite giving it water with vitamins, it couldn't stand on its feet and just lay there, passed away peacefully within 24 hours. I think it might have had an underdeveloped brain; it really had a very small skull.