Hatching taking over 24 hours any suggestions (3 days now)

[ChurpyChicken]

One of my eggs has been hatching for over 24 hours now the shell is cracked and you can see the membrane, the little guy is still cheeping but its getting weaker. Not sure how to help him put warm water on the membrane to soften it but not sure if theres anything else I can do to help him or how long he will survive for if he doesnt hatch soon. Anyone got any suggestions as to how I can help the hatch ?

 

[Penturner]

only one suggestion, Wait. I am pretty sure that is not what you want to here but 24 hours is not to long for a chick to hatch.

 

[ChurpyChicken]

At what point do I begin to worry? Its not making any noise at all any more and the egg seems quite cold compared to usual

 

[Penturner]

Churpy, This will take a while but I will give you everything I know about a chick hatching. so if you feel you have to help, you hopefully can avoid mistakes.

The chick is in the process of of one method of breathing shutting down (Blood Vessels int e membrane of the egg) and another starting up (It's Lungs)
This shut down and start up must happen in balance.

The blood vessels are mostly in the bottom part of the egg. this is also where the umbilical cord attaches to the shell. You must be very careful to not take the bottom half of the shell off the chick. it must escape this on it's own. you also need to take care in freeing it from the top half of the shell since this will allow it to push away from the bottom half on it's own to soon. The chick could at this point be in trouble, it could also very well just be waiting for more blood vessels to shut down. You mention that most of the top of the egg is cracked open. I suspect the chick is not having trouble getting air. It also seems to me that by your comments you have been opening up the incubator during this time. If so the chick may very well be shrink wrapped. and not able to push the top of the egg away.

At some point you may need to try and move the top half of the egg and try to determine if the chick is stuck in the membrane of the egg.

And finally it can take as much as 48 hours for a chick to hatch. there is a lot happening and it really is best to not disturb it. of course this also requires accepting that some chicks just simply do not make it.

If your chick has not made any more progress still I would try pulling the top of the egg back just a bit if it where me as it is looking more and more like it is shrink wrapped. as long as this has not prevented it from breathing it will still be okay but it will need help.

 

[Penturner]

Oops a bit more of what to be careful about. One other process that is taking place is the last of the yolk sack is being absorbed into the chick. this should have already taken place but maybe not.
In a simple list there are three things I know of that are taking place in the process of hatching. and being without air is part of how it happens.
1. the shell is being broken
2. the blood vessels are shutting down
3. the yolk sack is being drawn into the body.

all the above are a result of muscle spasms that are caused by an overload of Co2 in the chicks body. helping the chick to much can actually cause it to get to much air to soon and stop the spasms it needs to complete the job of absorbing the yolk and bringing the blood from the vessels back into it's body.
It really is a dance on the edge of death that the chick is in right now. and more often than not our attempts to help are harming it's chances.
If nothing also I hope these two posts have given you information to make your next decision from.

Here is a personal story as well. the first egg (Always the worst) that I ever had hatch. pipped and then did nothing for 12 solid hours. drove me absolutely crazy. I simply had to walk away and accept that however it turned out is how it was going to turn out. I was then woke up at 12:30 in the morning by my family because they had finally seen it take one more very small chunk off the egg. We all gathered around and watched it hatch in one hour to the minute. I am to this day grateful for that and that it did not do what yours is doing. Every minute is agonizing and we want it to happen right now. truth is I never felt at ease until the chick was completely free of the shell. then I started worrying that he was strong and healthy, now I worry that he will stay that way. simply put it never really ends.

My final gut feeling on your chick right now is that it is probably shrink wrapped and that you should help, but do so ever so slowly and carefully.

 

[ChurpyChicken]

Thank you for your help. The chick still hasnt hatched its cheeping but weakly tried peeling back the shell the membrane is very dry inside, wet the membrane with no result not sure what to now. What will happen if I pop the membrane to help the chick will it die or is there anything else I can do to help the chick ? Got the feeling this one is gone unless we do something.

 

[Orpy mad]

I have just had my first orpington eggs hatch, 1 week ago, first one came out really quickly and I thought that was how they all would appear..not so, second hatched between 11pm and 5am, but no pip at 11pm so must have happened quite quick, third took about 8 hours, the fourth piped and nothing for 24 hours, just a little beak,has yours split the membrane at all? so I did what many people say dont! and peeled a little more of the shell and damped the membrane, it still took a further 3 hours and the chick is fit and healthy, but quite abit smaller than the others, this was the 24 day so quite concerned as a full 48 hours between first and fourth, I then candled the remaining 5 eggs, 2 had turned to liquid, and the other three had formed but unmoving chicks, so I disposed of them without opening, I now think I should have looked further in helping, BUT and a big BUT, the one having problems is smaller, which will make him weaker, very difficult to know whether to help, some say never, others say yes, there is a forum on here 'chicks not hatching' which made me think and is very helpful, I have another 9 incubating now so will see how they go, I think I should have given the three eggs longer, I just assumed if four had hatched in 48 hours the time lapse between chicks was too long, that they should all hatch around the same time, if they are all late then fair enough but to get such staggering seems odd. There are stories of people killing the chicks by trying to help when the blood vessels are still conected and the yolk not absorbed even though the egg had pipped hours ago, they were resting and still absorbing the sack,Tough call, hope you get some info from the other forum:/

 

[ChurpyChicken]

Thanks for that Ive taken the scary step of actually getting the chick out but leaving the belly buttony bit attached really pleased to say the chick is healthy and cheeping away. I think the membrane was just too hard for the chick to pop.
Looks like the chick will survive with no problems but I will let you know if it doesnt.

 

[ChurpyChicken]

Little guy has past away

 

[Penturner]

So sorry Churpy, I just want to say you did the best you knew to do and you cant always prevent bad things.