Coturnix quail egg zipped half way, alive, beak sticking out - yellow/orange membrane? Help.

[SeptemberQuail]

So far, 9 chicks have hatched (5 are in the brooder, the other 4 still in the incubator.) Each one has hatched in under 2 hours, one even just hatched in less than 15 minutes.
One chick, she broke parts of the shell at around 7am (I believe she pipped at around 6am), and now it's already 10am, and she's still only halfway zipped.
Why is it taking so long? My other chicks hatched so quickly!

One piece of the shell was hard for her to break off, so I pulled it off. Now she's continued zipping, she's still breathing and her beak is sticking out.
But why is the membrane a sick orange/yellow colour? Has it dried off?
Two chicks have hatched during that period when she was still trying to zip a bit. Their membranes were grey.




She's the one with the 'x' on it. The foam divider is used to separate the chicks from the eggs once they dried up a bit.

Should I wait a bit more or help her? She's been like this for 2 - 3 hours now, her beak trying to slice off the membrane.
(Sorry that the pics not that good, it was taken through the incubator's window)

Thanks!

 

[SeptemberQuail]

Alright, I've helped her out. She couldn't really move because the egg was so small! I had to peel the egg off gently one by one, piece by piece. Her foot was pressed against her chin, disabling her from being able to move around to zip the rest.

She's having a bit of trouble standing up - possibly because she was stuck in there for so long!
But still curious; why was the membrane so orange?

 

[maryhysong]

Alright, I've helped her out. She couldn't really move because the egg was so small! I had to peel the egg off gently one by one, piece by piece. Her foot was pressed against her chin, disabling her from being able to move around to zip the rest.

She's having a bit of trouble standing up - possibly because she was stuck in there for so long!
But still curious; why was the membrane so orange?

I'm no expert, just on my second incubator hatch right now, but one of my BCM eggs was that way today; i think not enough humidity and the chick was getting shrink wrapped. I picked off enough shell to be sure of where it's beak was, tore the membrane in a couple places and put a little warm water between the membrane and shell on the lower part and eventually the little guy hatched the rest of the way on it's own. The membrane seemed really dry and tough.

 

[SeptemberQuail]

I quickly, but gently moved her into a small container in the incubator for her to lean against something and regain her balance. Her foot kept flicking back upwards (like it was in the shell), and she was quite wobbly.
Now she's walking around and chirping (loudly) now. Gonna move her into the brooder tonight. Just glad she's alright.

So is that what 'shrink-wrapped' means?
Strange... the humidity levels were around 60%... It should of been fine.

Thank you Maryhysong!

 

[SilkieSensation]

The membrane was orange because she was shrink wrapped. This is caused by low humidity. Low humidity is likely because you kept opening the bator to remove babies. Try to wait until all have hatched before opening the bator. Babies are fine to stay in the bator for up to 48 hrs after hatch since they are absorbing the rest of the yolk during that time.

 

[SeptemberQuail]

Alright, I really appreciate that information SilkieSensation, thank you!
It was my first time incubating, and these chicks hatched at day 18, all the way to day 20. Late hatchers, but all are still healthy. :]

 

[SilkieSensation]

If you have to open the bator before hatch completes here is a trick I have learned to avoid losing humidity.

Only open the bator as far as absolutely necessary to stick your hand in & grab babies. Close as quickly as possible. If humidity drops or you think it has dropped open the bator just far enough to stick a spray bottle in & spray HOT water onto the lid of the bator. Use the mist setting on the spray bottle & only spray 1-2 times. This immediately replaces any lost humidity. Do not spray the eggs directly as you can drown the babies that are pipped & trying to hatch.

 

[BearBottomBasinFarm]

I'm no expert, just on my second incubator hatch right now, but one of my BCM eggs was that way today; i think not enough humidity and the chick was getting shrink wrapped. I picked off enough shell to be sure of where it's beak was, tore the membrane in a couple places and put a little warm water between the membrane and shell on the lower part and eventually the little guy hatched the rest of the way on it's own. The membrane seemed really dry and tough.

Yes, I would say it's a humidity issue. I personally have helped mine like this with no issues but there was no sign of blood and the yolks had all been absorbed.