Hatch Help asap! Chick getting weaker!

[Nano9910]

about 16 hours ago my chicks piped. 2 are out. the third is alive but not trying to hatch. the other chicks pecked the entire top half of the egg off but not the membrane and there is a small amount of blood coming from the egg membrane! SOS! Should I try to help it hatch? The others are still to wet to take out!

 

[caspernc]

Had a friend with something simular and she broke the membrane before it dried out and killed the chick, then made sure she put electrolites in the water and the chick is do very well.

 

[howfunkyisurchicken]

You could help it but you have to be very careful. You should be able to see the blood vessels in the membrane. I usually try to peel it back(with a pair if blunt tweezers) from where the chick pipped just enough for the chick to slip out when I turn the egg upside down. It should slide right into your hand. Whatever you do, don't pull the bottom half of the egg from the chick. The umbilical cord is located there, and if you tear it, the chick will more than likely die. Its really not as difficult or scarey as I probably just made it sound, but you do have to proceed with caution. If you arent comfortable doing this, you could wet the membrane with a warm cloth or medicine dropper to give it a little more time to hatch on its own. Good luck.

 

[chickengrl]

I would not help yet, they can take 24 hours from pipping to hatch. They are spending the time resting, and absorbing the yolk. Let the others dry too. A bit of blood is not unusual either. Try to give the chick a bit more time. Good luck!

 

[donnavee]

I always heard not to help them out, but we had a last duckling that had broken through the shell, and was peeping - you could even see it's little bill moving. After an entire day and night - DH decided to start breaking away the shell, only to find - horrors - it was stuck in the shell. I left the room, but he ran a sink of warm water and gently worked it loose from the shell. No blood, but it was a wet and cold mess. I put it back in the brooder to get warm and dry. After a few hours, it had dried out, but this isn't for the faint of heart because it was still in a fetal position and remained so for at least another 24hrs. I hand fed and watered it for 2 days, electrolytes and the grow gel stuff. But on the 3rd day, it was trying to get out of the shoe box to join it's siblings and began to eat and drink on it's own. It took a while, but at 2 wks old it is still a bit smaller than the others, but doing just fine. No idea if it's a boy or girl, but we named it Tiger.