Do I help my eggs? Day 22.

[sunny & the 5 egg layers]

It's day 22 and I had one chick pip Monday night and hatch yesterday (Tuesday) morning.
I have three more eggs that still haven't done anything. All were developed and moving on day 18 when I candled them.

I have been candling them a little through the glass of my homemade incubator, and egg number 9 and egg number 3 were moving last night and both seemed to have internally pipped based on the shape of the air sac.

Early this morning I (quickly) pulled the three eggs one by one out of the incubator and candled them. I know, I know, it's lockdown but it was so quick that I don't think it affected anything.
Egg number 9 is no longer moving at all (did it die?) and egg number 3 is definitely internally pipped (I saw the beak in the air sac) and it was moving.
I just shined the light through the incubator again and it is still moving.

The last egg (number 7) is not moving or anything, I don't even think it has internally pipped yet.


My question is, should I help them? I'm pretty sure that egg 9 died based on the lack of movement. I only have one chick and he hatched a little over 24 hrs ago. It's day 22. Humidity is about 50% temp is about 98 right now.
I don't want to lose them and my chick is getting lonely. But I also don't want to do more harm then good.

What's your opinions?

Thanks in advance.

 

[sonjab314]

Leave things be for now. Your temp is a little low so that may cause a delay in developing. They are absorbing the last of the yolk sac and if you take them out of the egg before that yolk is absorbed, you will kill the chick. The only time I assist is if they pip and its obvious they cant zip due to dried membranes. You may also want to raise your humidity level a little bit as well. Hope it all works out for you

 

[sunny & the 5 egg layers]

My temp is only low today, really. Because of opening the incubator. Right now its 98.6. My temp has been pretty good through out incubation. Staying in the 99.1-99.5 range, highest being about 100.4 or so. Its a forced air incubator.
My lonely chick is not happy in a brooder all alone. I tried it today, and he screamed nonstop. When I placed him in the incubator he was happy again, so that's where he is. He is eating and drinking in there too.

I try to keep opening the incubator to a minimum.

Do I make a pip hole in the other eggs air sac area? I don't want to harm them. Just wondering why this little guy has hatched, and the other eggs are so delayed. These eggs were all laid by the same hen and all set the same time. They are golden sebrights.
It scares me that egg 9 is no longer moving.
Its the beginning of day 23 now.

How long before an internally pipped chick runs out of air in the air sac?

Thanks for your input.

 

[sunny & the 5 egg layers]

Egg number 3 literally just pipped!!
Phew, what a relief. Lets hope the other two eggs pip too.

 

[Tumbleweed Farm]

Sounds good! Good luck and keep us posted!

 

[sunny & the 5 egg layers]

My egg pipped at 5:45 last night and this morning at 7:30 it made the pip larger.
It's now been about 24hrs since the pip. Should I assist? It's trying to peck its way out but hasn't been very successful. It is chirping every once in a while, so it seems alert.
Membrane is a brown color, but appears moist.

What should I do?

 

[sunny & the 5 egg layers]

 

[sellison]

I would continue to wait. He can breathe and if he is strong enough, he will make more of an effort. I went against the grain last year, and after a day of the hole of about your size, I did help the chick because he was stuck to the membrane. I know it was because we opened the incubator just a few times but the humidity would drop a lot. Anyway we gently peeled off some of the egg shell and he just looked yucky not fluffy but full of energy. He got a bath with the water at 100 degrees and there was a lot membrane we couldn't see still on him. We had taken his friends out already so he went back in the incubator to dry off. He still was not fluffy but we threw him in with the rest the next morning and after a week you couldn't pick him out of the rest anymore. I never thought he would have made it. This was just luck on our part, I would wait a little longer to help him.

 

[midget_farms]

If you open the incubator now you will shrink wrap the chick in the shell. Go watch walking dead or something.

The blood supply to the membrane has to dry up after the pip & before the zip. If you help early it will bleed to death.

If it's still stuck tomorrow then help.

 

[sunny & the 5 egg layers]

Thanks for the responses, guys!

My chick is still in its egg, pecking a piece of shell it's been working on for the majority of the day.
Since my incubator is made out of an old fish tank, I can see my eggs from pretty much every angle. If I shine a flash light through the side of the incubator on the side of the egg opposite of the pip hole, I can see veins on top of the chick. A small amount of blood on the veins too.
Does this mean it hasn't absorbed its yolk either yet?
Why would the membrane be a brown color?

I'm so worried, really hope everything works out. Luckily the chick is chirping and still alive.


Fingers crossed this little one pulls through, I have one lone chick in the brooder looking for a little friend.