First chicks interfere with later chicks

[AAchicks]

Does anyone have issues with the first hatched chicks kicking around the hatching eggs and causing death? It seems in almost every hatch we get at least one that is making good progress until a chick that hatched earlier kicks it around and if it lands beak down, it dies? I was watching the last batch and the chick was almost out of the egg (it had unzipped all the way around and was pushing the shell off) when the chick that hatched first moved it so the beak was down. I continued watching it and when I didn't see any more attempts to push the shell off after about 15 minutes, I went ahead and opened the incubator and removed the live chick and checked the hatching chick. By then it had already passed. Same thing happened in the previous hatch too. Is there a way I can stabilize the eggs when they go into lockdown that will not interfere with hatching but will prevent the first chicks from causing issues?

 

[Ridgerunner]

I don't do it myself but some people cut out egg cartons so most of the egg holder part is gone but enough is left to hold the egg in place. When you go into lockdown set it pointy side down.

 

[ChickensAndYoga]

I just recently lost a pipped chick to this. Boisterous older one knocked it so hard there was instant vessel rupture somehow. Blood in the pip hole (I watched it happen) chick died within about 10 min. Not sure if a freak accident or what, But I will be trying the carton method this hatch.

 

[lazy gardener]

When comparing the hatching environment under a broody hen to that in a bator, the 2 situations are completely different. When eggs hatch under a broody, they are all pretty well secured from movement. In a nest full of hay or other bedding, the natural position would be for the egg to be pointy end down, though not standing on that pointy end. And the broody on top, with her mop of feathers would further act to isolate the eggs from each other, even though they may be touching.

The one instance I can recall was in my first hatch. The last chick was getting kicked all over the bator. She was hollering up a storm as she tried to finish her zip, but she was unsuccessful, and did not make progress. Finally, I put that egg in a little tupperware container to isolate it. 10 minutes later, I came back, she'd hatched and jumped out of the container!

 

[AAchicks]

I just recently lost a pipped chick to this. Boisterous older one knocked it so hard there was instant vessel rupture somehow. Blood in the pip hole (I watched it happen) chick died within about 10 min.

The most recent hatch didn’t have the blood, but the one before it that is exactly what happened. In that case I had to wait a little more because there were other eggs pipped, but I knew the blood meant there wasn’t much I could do

 

[AAchicks]

Thanks for that info! Next time I will make a carton so I can maybe have them pointy side down, but at an angle.

 

[ChickensAndYoga]

The most recent hatch didn’t have the blood, but the one before it that is exactly what happened. In that case I had to wait a little more because there were other eggs pipped, but I knew the blood meant there wasn’t much I could do

It really was a shocking event. And was a beautiful white chick ... I just feel like I don't want to take anymore chances. Broody hatching I never even candle. Incubator hatching is pretty high intensity sometimes lol