Chick with a bent neck

[NewToQuail]

I've been incubating button quail eggs. They hatched a few days late, but started off fine 11 hatching without a hitch, although the first to pip was pipping at the wrong end, and I thought died, until he started pipping more today! I ended up helping him crack the shell a bit, leaving the membrane, but tonight I full hatched him and he seems fine.

However, there was one other that started pipping yesterday, without making much progress. I took him out this morning to help a bit and check things out, but tonight he still had made no progress, so I got him out to help. He had pipped a small section on one side and a small one on the other, with a bit of blood seeming to be on the membrane. I chipped away the shell and wet/helped tear the membrane, and put him back in the 'bator to hatch out. He did while I was helping the other hatch (however he ended up going the wrong way, his head got tucked back up so I had to chip away some shell lengthwise to get him out). My mom was watching him and kept saying how he looked off.

He doesn't seem to have as many feathers as the others have, and the most upsetting thing, his neck is sort of bent down against his chest. He kept getting stuck on his back and thrashing all around, so I put him in a small bowl with non-skid mat in it to hopefully help him get a grip.

He's not like this because he's hatched too early, right? I feel like I should have let him be (I don't think I will step in again without waiting longer...) but it's too late for that.

What would have caused the bent neck other than me intervening too soon? What can I do to help him out? It's so upsetting for me to watch him, I'm afraid to go check on him and afraid not to go check...

Any help would be great.

 

[monarc23]

dont blame yourself

I find it impossible that you helping is the cause for the bent neck, either it's stuck that way because of the egg stickiness OR it was just deformed in development. Wthout seeing it no one can really know. If there was no blood when you helped him out, then he was ready to come out anyhow and you just helped nothing wrong with that

 

[JJMR794]

More Likely He Was Waiting Too Long To Hatch Resulting In A Crooked Neck--- We Had A Serama Chick Do The Same Thing. Once He Passed The Brooder Stage The Symptoms Have Eased A Little More Each Week. You Can Barely Tell Now And He's About 12 Wks Old. He Has His Head Up, But Has Some Jerky Movements To It When He Looks Or Turns His Head Sideways. Otherwise He Ahs Done Just Fine.

 

[NewToQuail]

Okay, thanks guys. I found a few sites that talked about some sort of gene mutation that results in a bent neck, maybe that is the problem? I found the sites a bit hard to follow.

If he makes it through the night, is it safe to move him to the brooder with the other guys? Should I set up a separate one for him so he isn't bullied?