HELP! Chick is hatching but there is blood.

[KiwiandPeachthePigeons]

I need help! one of my chicks pipped the side and theres blood. Will it be okay?

 

[PrincessKiara]

I need help! one of my chicks pipped the side and theres blood. Will it be okay?

I'm by no means experienced but I've had several chicks bleed on hatch so I just apply a bit of peroxide with a Qtip and the bleeding stops. Usually those chicks are weaker so I syringe feed them sugar water with Vitafort and powdered food for the first day or two, and they've all turned out fine so far.

 

[Lost8211]

I hatched out a Goose on Monday and he was bloody, like dripping blood. He had a navel that didn't close properly. I acted fast and put Flour on his navel to stop any blood. I then went on to put antibacterial ointment on his navel. I kept it clean and dry. By the next day his navel was already closed up mostly and there was no bleeding. Just a tiny scab probably the size of a lentil. Now he has been hatched for about 4 days and he is strong and healthy. He runs all over. Follows me around. His scab is already gone and you can't even tell that he had any navel trauma. He is going to be alright. Of course the same can't be said for other poultry that hatches bloody but there is still hope that your fluff balls will be ok! The first day or two is crucial. If they live after, the chances of survival go up dramatically.

 

[Tilhana]

I'm in the same boat - my broody hen just stepped on one of her eggs and broke it! It's a pretty big hole, I can see the chick inside, and it's still moving, but the break is not in the air sack and there was a little bit of blood. We're on day 18 and I know the break must have happened in the last hour, so I wanted to at least give the chick a chance. I took the egg away from the hen, both to protect it from contamination and further crushing and also to keep the hen from being distracted so she can focus on the intact eggs. I quickly set up my incubator, cranked up the humidity and put the egg in. The chick is still moving a bit and the bleeding seems to have stopped, although I can't be sure it's not pooling inside the egg...

Does anyone have any suggestions? I don't want to intervene unless I know it's going to be something helpful. It may be too late to save this one, but I want to give it the best chance possible. Should I position the egg so the break is facing down instead of up? Or to the side? Right now I have it facing up. Has anyone had a chick survive this kind of trauma? Any advice is appreciated!

 

[PrincessKiara]

I'm in the same boat - my broody hen just stepped on one of her eggs and broke it! It's a pretty big hole, I can see the chick inside, and it's still moving, but the break is not in the air sack and there was a little bit of blood. We're on day 18 and I know the break must have happened in the last hour, so I wanted to at least give the chick a chance. I took the egg away from the hen, both to protect it from contamination and further crushing and also to keep the hen from being distracted so she can focus on the intact eggs. I quickly set up my incubator, cranked up the humidity and put the egg in. The chick is still moving a bit and the bleeding seems to have stopped, although I can't be sure it's not pooling inside the egg...

Does anyone have any suggestions? I don't want to intervene unless I know it's going to be something helpful. It may be too late to save this one, but I want to give it the best chance possible. Should I position the egg so the break is facing down instead of up? Or to the side? Right now I have it facing up. Has anyone had a chick survive this kind of trauma? Any advice is appreciated!

If you can seal the crack with wax, I would. Otherwise just keep humidity high, in future a tiny dab of hydrogen peroxide where the bleeding is should both stop the bleeding and prevent infection. In my (admittedly limited) experience, a small amount of blood is not a death sentence

 

[Tilhana]

If you can seal the crack with wax, I would. Otherwise just keep humidity high, in future a tiny dab of hydrogen peroxide where the bleeding is should both stop the bleeding and prevent infection. In my (admittedly limited) experience, a small amount of blood is not a death sentence

Unfortunately wax won't work as it's a large hole rather than a crack - about an inch diameter, with bits of the shell missing.

I can't see where the blood is coming from, so I don't know whether it's an injury or just a popped blood vessel or the normal amniotic fluid or whatever. So I feel like anything like peroxide that I apply locally is likely going to miss the target, unless I apply a lot which could hurt the chick, no?

At this point, I'm more worried about bacterial infection than the blood. I wish I could sterilize the inside of the incubator somehow as a precaution. Like add something antibacterial to the water so it evaporates slowly and sterilizes, but I can't think of anything that wouldn't harm the chick.

How big is the risk of bacterial infection at this point? How do you tell if it becomes a problem? Is it a death sentence? How long after a successful hatch are they considered out of the woods?

 

[eoneill2k]

Came home to find chick hatched out but bloody, very weak. He pipped this morning (a day or so early) and I didn't have any concerns I just went to work and left him sort himself out bc I know chicks need rest after pipping but now I'm very concerned if he'll make it or not

 

[eoneill2k]

Came home to find chick hatched out but bloody, very weak. He pipped this morning (a day or so early) and I didn't have any concerns I just went to work and left him sort himself out bc I know chicks need rest after pipping but now I'm very concerned if he'll make it or not

He's completely disconnected from the shell too, I think the hen maybe pecked at him a bit? He's cheeping away to the other hatchlings (two so far) and breathing but not lifting his head (moves his head when gently lifted for him)

 

[eoneill2k]

He's completely disconnected from the shell too, I think the hen maybe pecked at him a bit? He's cheeping away to the other hatchlings (two so far) and breathing but not lifting his head (moves his head when gently lifted for him)

UPDATE: got him to drink some warm water and he can lift his head by himself