Hatch not going well

[ethingtonart]

I had 2 eggs hatch today (day 20) and 4 more have pipped. My incubator is currently at 100° with 79% humidity. The first two hatched around 12 hours after they pipped, but a third one who had zipped half way around her egg died. Now i am very worried for the others who pipped sometime this morning and don't seem to be making much progress. I can still hear chirping occasionally, and i can see the beaks of 2 of them moving.
What should I do? I don't want another to die.
Oh, also, the first 17 days humidity was arund 30%.

 

[Egghead_Jr]

It sounds like the hatch is going well. I don't know whey the one died and my condolences on that. But your temp was right as they are hatching on time, straddling day 21. A few day 20 most will be today and a few ending day 22. That's perfect and with all the piping going on think your going to have a great hatch.

I run 30% first 18 days too. It's preference but I prefer to take the chicks out as soon as they get their balance and are active. Let them finish drying in the brooder to avoid excessive humidity spikes. By not letting them totally dry and opening the side of lid just enough to grab chicks I can keep the humidity 70% or so depending on how many are hatching at once. I don't like too high of humidity as it will loosen the album in egg and act like glue. Sticky chicks can't move well in shells and you have to wash them so avoid that by keeping humidity down during hatch, 65-70% if I can.

 

[ethingtonart]

Is it possible that the one who died was sticky then?

 

[Egghead_Jr]

I doubt it. You'd have noticed the ones that already hatched were sticky or not. They wont fluff up and when dry have crust on matted down. You'd be washing them so it's unlikely a single chick was sticky. It happens to me on the last to hatch and only if my humidity was getting too high.

 

[freshmanchick]

Hi, Egghead. It sounds like you might know what's going on with one of my new chicks. I am hatching for the first time, shipped eggs. First chick hatched yesteray and was all fluffy before I realized there was action. (Do you count days-to-hatch starting when they were laid or when they were put in incubator?) At that time, a second chick had opened about a third around her shell and was peeping, but seemed exhausted. Mouth breathing. No additional progress overnight so I decided to help her by- very carefully - increasing the opening. After a while she emerged but a large piece of shell seemed stuck to her and she seemed very weak and to have trouble keeping her head up. It also looked like she wasn't drying. After several hours, when I removed another normal hatchling, I discovered she wasn't wet but all crusty. Four others of nine have hatched and are normal. She is much perkier now, but crusty. Without her fluff, I'd imagine staying warm will be harder for her. What should I do? I'd appreciate any advice.

 

[song of joy]

Gently rinse the crusty chick under slowly running, warm water (approx 100 degrees). Keep water away from her head and mouth to ensure she doesn't aspirate any water. Gently dab dry her with a soft towel. You'll probably have trouble getting her totally dry, but she should dry off fairly quickly in the brooder.

 

[freshmanchick]

Thank you. That was scary (for me AND the chick!), so I don't think I rinsed her quite enough, but she is looking much better in all respects (perky, exploring, mostly fluffed), tho definitely smaller than the others.