Does my chick need help?

desfleurs

Hatching
Sep 21, 2016
4
0
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I have one white orpington chick in my incubator that pipped externally through the air sac 26 hours ago then rested 10 hours then spent the next 10 hours slowly making the hole bigger until 6 hours ago it could stick its head out. So its now 26 hours since pipping and its had its head out for the past 6 hours and no progress since then. It's cheaping but I wonder if it's stuck due to being pipped so long? Or how its going to unzip itself with its head now outside the egg. It's only made a hole about an inch round. In case its not dried out, I don't want to dry it out by opening the incubator which has its humidity at 67 - 70. Also, how long after pipping does the chick take to absorb the yolk sac? I don't want to lose the chick as its my only one. Do I need to give it more time or do you think I need to carefully help?
 
I have one white orpington chick in my incubator that pipped externally through the air sac 26 hours ago then rested 10 hours then spent the next 10 hours slowly making the hole bigger until 6 hours ago it could stick its head out. So its now 26 hours since pipping and its had its head out for the past 6 hours and no progress since then. It's cheaping but I wonder if it's stuck due to being pipped so long? Or how its going to unzip itself with its head now outside the egg. It's only made a hole about an inch round. In case its not dried out, I don't want to dry it out by opening the incubator which has its humidity at 67 - 70. Also, how long after pipping does the chick take to absorb the yolk sac? I don't want to lose the chick as its my only one. Do I need to give it more time or do you think I need to carefully help?
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I start an assit around 24 hours. Sometime I can help in one shot, other times I find the chick to egg vascular system hasn't shut down and have to stop and give the chick more time. As for the yolk. According to the Cobb development chart, the chick starts absorbing the yolk day 19-20ish. And while there are chicks that pip and hatch before this is complete, on the average, on time chicks should have already completed this process. I assist in this manner: http://hatching411.weebly.com/assisting-a-hatcher.html

Some people don't believe in assisting. It's a personal decision.
 
Thank you! I've opened the incubator and found hard brown leathery membrane stiff & dry around its neck which I managed to soften with some warm water. It was very stuck and couldn't move. I've only lowered the shell and stiff membrane a small amount - like 5mm all around so it's wider than its neck. It seemed still moist further down. I've wrapped it in a damp paper towel and put it back in the incubator to warm up and see if it can attempt to hatch by itself. I hope I'm doing everything right. My husband didn't think it had any chance of getting out of the hard dry membrane. My humidity I raised to 65 - 70 since lock down so I'm not sure why it dried out. Maybe just being 27 hours since pipping? Thank you for helping me!!
 
Thank you!  I've opened the incubator and found hard brown leathery membrane stiff & dry around its neck which I managed to soften with some warm water.  It was very stuck and couldn't move.  I've only lowered the shell and stiff membrane a small amount - like 5mm all around so it's wider than its neck.  It seemed still moist further down.  I've wrapped it in a damp paper towel and put it back in the incubator to warm up and see if it can attempt to hatch by itself.  I hope I'm doing everything right.  My husband didn't think it had any chance of getting out of the hard dry membrane.   My humidity I raised to 65 - 70 since lock down so I'm not sure why it dried out.  Maybe just being 27 hours since pipping?  Thank you for helping me!!


Even with high humidity (I run 75+) exposed membrane open to the air for that long of a period can dry out. The more membrane exposed, the higher the chance. I've found it to be even more so with forced air incubators. Sounds like you are doing good, and your husband is probably right. If the membrane dries and sticks to them it often prevents them from progressing on their own.
 
Even with high humidity (I run 75+) exposed membrane open to the air for that long of a period can dry out. The more membrane exposed, the higher the chance. I've found it to be even more so with forced air incubators.
Hi AmyLynn, I've been wanting to ask you what you run for humidity. I know I've read your posts about dry hatch method, but I can't remember seeing the actual ranges you like to use.... What's your low range for humidity? What day do you crank it up? What's your high range for humidity?
 
Hi AmyLynn, I've been wanting to ask you what you run for humidity. I know I've read your posts about dry hatch method, but I can't remember seeing the actual ranges you like to use.... What's your low range for humidity? What day do you crank it up? What's your high range for humidity?

For the first 17 days I prefer 30%. I don't like getting under 25% for very long unless my air cells are saying they are too big. I don't like it going above 35% generally-again, unless my air cells say otherwise. For hatch I like it at least 70%, 75% is what I shoot for. I don't worry about it going "too high" as long as there is no condensation in the bator. I've had it shoot up to 90%, but it never stays high because I'm hands on and I am in and out of the bator. If you are hands off and not opening the bator during hatch, you can run 65% easily. Even if I were hands off, I'd want at least 65%, but people do hatch out at 60%.

Oh, and I go into lockdown at day 18 unless I have early internal pips.
 
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