Egg pipped 24 hours ago, it's still moving, others are hatching

[Jax7490]

Hello! First time egger here! I have 10 eggs and they were all good and moving on day 18 when I began lockdown. The first egg that pipped was about 24 hours ago now and it's progress hasnt gotten much better. In the meantime, one has already hatched, two seem like they will any second and the rest are going strong. I can see (not by opening) that it is still moving in the hole, I hear a chirp every now and again and the egg wiggles, but again. Not really a ton of progress. The internet is a bit ambiguous here for answers! Some say after 24 hours assist, others say it can take more than 24 hours. I also worry that the humidity isn't high. Somehow there is a leak in the Bater and a lot of water got out. But, I others are hatching so it must be ok? Any advice?

 

[Pyxis]

I would probably carefully open the air cell to see what's going on, it might be malpositioned. Read through this article, it will walk you through an assisted hatch:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/guide-to-assisted-hatching-for-all-poultry.72886/

 

[Jax7490]

Thank you for replying! I'm worried to open it because there are 8 more currently pipped and working their way out. I'm concerned humidity is low to begin with. Do you think it would be ok?

 

[Pyxis]

I open mine all the time during hatch. As long as the humidity goes back up quickly afterwards it's fine. It sounds like yours could benefit from being opened and some water added anyway, so do that and also add a wet sponge or paper towel to get the humidity to rapidly go up.

 

[Jax7490]

I posted somewhere else on here today and got no replies so hopefully you can answer or can direct me. Chick did come out after I assisted a bit, but there was still some of the yolk. It's not too big, just a little yellow with a few veins. I put it back in the bottom of it's shell and did the whole cup thing this morning around noon. It's now moving around in there a lot so I took it out. It is still there, but kind of small. But it is talking a lot and trying to walk. It is still big enough that it's tripping over it and I don't want it to rupture. I put it back in the cup without the egg (it popped in it) so there was poop on the chick and in the egg. What do I do? So I take it out or is there something else?

 

[Pyxis]

Hi! I'm gonna respond here instead of in the comments on my article if that's okay, it'll be easier to follow here

I had one like that recently. It never actually finished absorbing the yolk. I kept the remaining yolk moist with coconut oil for a couple days, but since it wasn't absorbing I eventually just let it dry out and fall off, which is what you may need to do for yours. Do you have a picture of the yolk perhaps? Seeing it would give me a better idea of what you're dealing with.

 

[Jax7490]

This is what it looked like about an hour or so ago

 

[Pyxis]

Does it seem to be getting any smaller over time? Is that poop on it or just leftover hatching gunk on it? I'd gently clean it and apply some coconut oil to keep it moist, and see if it goes down some more.

 

[Jax7490]

It pooped! I tried cleaning it the best I could, but I was afraid harder and I would pop it. It really got in the creases! It was still moist but I did end up putting it back in the cup for the night. Should I not do that? Also, I think it's getting smaller from this morning. But I didn't take a picture for reference like I should have!

 

[Pyxis]

That's good if it's going down! The poop is a bit of a problem, but you're right, you don't want to rupture it. An infected yolk sac can happen and that's something we want to avoid. Maybe apply some neosporin with no pain relief to it as a preventative measure. Hopefully it goes down overnight, but if not, it should, hopefully, eventually dry up and fall off and the chick will be none the worse for wear.