Help!! 2 hour old chick very weak and squishy!!

[Maddison]

one of my late NN hatchers just hatched! I know its well over 21 days old, its got a squishy bum abdomen and head, it hardly opens its eyes and it's very weak! it is constantly peeping, what should I do?! It was less than 5 minutes old when I put it in the brooder, its sister eggs have yet to hatch, I'm worried they might turn out like this as well. should I consider assisting in hatching the other 2??

 

[lazy gardener]

You are most likely dealing with oomphalitis. You will most likely have to cull this chick. Your choice re: the other 2. They may hatch without issues, you may assist only to result in death of chicks. Assisted hatching is a last resort, only to be attempted if death is guaranteed if you do not assist. It takes skill to know if you should, when you should, and how much assistance you should provide. No one can make that decision for you, b/c they are not there. I have done assists that have ended well, and others... not so much. My assessment skills and technique are improving, so my overall survival rate is increased.

https://www.merckvetmanual.com/poultry/omphalitis/overview-of-omphalitis-in-poultry

 

[chickens really]

Possibly absorbing the yolk?....I'll tag someone...
@WVduckchick

 

[aart]

It was less than 5 minutes old when I put it in the brooder,

Best to leave it in the incubator...give it a chance to recover form the hard work of hatching.

 

[Maddison]

UPDATE! its been nearly 2 days, the chick is getting better and hasn't died. it's eating and drinking properly, but still a bit squishy. it also had one leg with crooked toes that I've corrected with bandages, shes learning how to walk on it slowly. No longer constantly peeping and overall apart from its squishy-ness and wonky walking is acting like a normal chick. since it can't walk well it doesn't participate in chickly activities like scratching and pecking like the others, poor thing just sits around all day. I think it might make it through all this, its certainly a fighter. the other chicks were agressively picking on her at first, but since I moved them all to one box to clean the brooder they all got along after that, theres even one chick that sits beside her and comforts her.