First one, wrong end!!!!

[sumi]

Follow the article's instructions carefully and you will be o.k. You can start by opening the pip hole a little more, so you can see into the egg. The chick will probably get really worked up, but ignore it. It will make you feel anxious and that's the last thing you need! Have a look at the membrane and see what it looks like. I usually have a pair of tweezers ready for breaking off bits of shell, a bowl or container of some sort with clean water for dipping the Q-tips in and of course some Q-tips, which I use to wet the membrane. You ready?

 

[MommaBee]

NO, haha I am not ready! I am literally CHICKENING OUT! No really, I read someones comment on the March 1st hatch-a-long and it made total sense to me.

I've read your other replies about this and I understand your worry! It can be very nerve-wracking, truly! But I just wanted to point something out that you may not have thought of. Your chick pipped at the narrow end of the egg, so opposite the air cell, correct? The normal progression is pip internally --> pip externally --> unzip. It can be 48+ hours between internal pip and unzip. Well, the whole purpose of the internal pip is for the chick's lungs to start working. They break through into the air cell, the lungs start working, and the chick waits while the yolk sac is absorbed and all the veins lining the eggshell close off. Well, if your chick is backwards, there's no air cell to break into and they simply skip the internal pipping step and pip wherever they can, which is straight through the shell. The lungs need to start working one way or another! So often chicks that are backwards in the shell make their external pip way ahead of the other eggs. This doesn't mean they're ready to hatch yet, usually. It just means they skipped the internal step. They still need to wait many hours for all the developmental processes to finish before they are ready to unzip. So give the little guy time, don't rush in. Nearly all my backwards pippers make it out by themselves. I've only had to help a couple. So that little chick may surprise you yet!

So I admit that it is only day 20 for this set, and so this got me to thinking. Maybe I just need to give it more time. As soon as I read her post after setting everything out, I heard a ton of chirping. So for now I shall wait. Maybe 12 hours is what you should wait on when everyone is hatching on time, but this guy seems to be earlier than the rest. I hope I am making it the right decision, but for now I am going to sit and wait. For how long is the next question. Signs of distress are? Not chirping? Less movement? I mean they rest don't they. Seems like there is just no way to tell.

Sorry to be such a roller coaster ride. Yesh, I am a mess!

 

[sumi]

That post does make sense. And don't worry, I know about stressful hatches!

My last hatch I had a malpositioned chick that was so butt-about-face it couldn't pip internally or externally! I had to do everything for the little sweetheart, but she's fine. We made it!
Knowing when the chick is in distress is tricky. They sometimes chirp like mad when they are doing fine and hatching at a great speed and sometimes they chirp because they are stuck... I think what I would do in your situation is wait, some more. If you know more or less the time the chick pipped, calculate from there: it can take up to 6 hours from internal pip to external pip, then another 24 hours to completing the hatch. So we got 30 hours. I do like to know exactly what I'm dealing with when I assist, so I open the shell enough to see the membranes and judge the time from what they look like, but it's tricky to explain. I think you must listen to your gut and keep an eye on the chick and as long as it's chirping, like I said before it's fine. It's breathing o.k. and that is what it needs now. Just to breathe.

 

[MommaBee]

Well I hope it makes it. I feel like it is a strong one. On the part of the membrane I can see, there is no veining. So when and if I have to intervene is that what I should be looking for before proceeding? You said it was tricky to explain.

PS I just got another pip! I am officially obsessed with hatching and I am not even holding a lil fluff ball yet!

 

[sumi]

I look at the veins in the membrane. I see Sally put some pics of the membrane in the article, scroll way down, past the pic of the zipped egg, where she explains about putting ointment on the membrane, just below that are pics of the chick in the shell still, with the wet membrane and you can clearly see the veins. That is what you look for. As long as there are veins full of blood the chick cannot come out just yet. As long as there is blood in the membrane it is also a good indication that the yolk sac hasn't been absorbed yet. This needs to be completed before the chick can hatch.

You can open the shell to see what's going on, but don't do anything except moisten the inner membrane. There should be a little space between the inner membrane and the shell and outer membrane, depending on how the chick is wedged in there. So try and keep well clear of the inner membrane when you chip away the shell.

And congrats! I hope this one hatches out quick quick and fine for you.

 

[MommaBee]

OK, I looked at her pics. I think I will know what to look for.

It still has not hatched, or made ANY progress at all. It will be 24 hrs around 10-12pm. I am going to assess the situation then. But right now it is not looking good. I can see it breathing but it is not fighting like it was (I am sure it is totally exhausted after doing the same thing for 20-22 hours.). We had one just hatch an hour ago. It had not completely absorbed its yolk sac, or else it was just a little left over (is that normal). I am clueless on this but that makes me THINK it was a little early. However it has not stopped flopping around for the last hour so it must be feeling fine. It looked a lil sticky, but I really have nothing to compare it to. How long before they usually fluff out?

Humidity is at 63% thanks to the one who hatched. But I am having to dampen that membrane every 15 mins now to keep it from totally drying out. I am being very careful and no water is going into the hole. But I wonder how much it is even helping, if at all.

I am trying to take in EVERY factor before helping this guy out.

 

[MommaBee]

Bumping myself. So sorry friends. Hoping someone who can help will see this.

 

[MommaBee]

OK 2 have hatched and I have no other pips.It is not breathing from the looks of it! I hope I am not to late. I am going to try to assist it.

I feel like this is the best window to do it without effecting the others.

 

[rosemi78]

OK 2 have hatched and I have no other pips.It is not breathing from the looks of it! I hope I am not to late. I am going to try to assist it.

I feel like this is the best window to do it without effecting the others.

I'm sorry this is becoming so stressful for you. I hope you're able to successfully assist. <3 Good luck!

 

[MommaBee]

I'm sorry this is becoming so stressful for you. I hope you're able to successfully assist. <3 Good luck!

Thank you. It is not as stressful as it is wanting to make the right choice. I read threads like this before I started this hatch and wondered what the big deal was. But after waiting 3 weeks and then watching it struggle for a day it became more of responsibility to help it the best I could. So I did, the humidity didn't drop a bit. I slide in a large warm sponge as I took the egg out. I was slow and careful. I did my best. I made a viewing window and dampened its membrane and put it back in a warm wet paper towel. I can see it breathing better and the other two chicks that have already hatched are rooting it on. At least I would like to think they are They are really probably enjoying the warm towel. I wish I would have put it in a small tuperware so it would be protected from the others. But I learned something there. I will add a picture in a minute in case it can be helpful for others. For now we will sit and wait.