help chick out of shell? WITH PIC

[jimma207]

4 out of 5 of my chicks hatched 2 days ago. I have heard this last little bugger chirping inside(just barely) for at least the last 24 hours. I decieded to help this morning and I candled to see where his beak was so I could pip for him. I did a good job picking away some shell, but when I tried to touch the membrane there was a tiny bit of blood. I was afraid to do anything more. It seems like she doesnt have any energy left , should I try to break the membrane? is she probably not going to make it? did I doom her? I dont see how she could be 2 days behind the others, they all hatched within 6 hours? thanks I know there must be someone out there thats done this before?

 

[raimnel]

wet the membrane with a tiny bit of water

 

[meriruka]

I have done this many times. One of the things that happens when you pip the shell is that the membrane surrounding the chick begins to dry out and the chick becomes 'shrink wrapped'. If you really think she won't make it out on her own, it is possible to take a good portion of the shell off her without rupturing the membrane so you can see what is going on.
If the yolk is not mostly absorbed or the membrane has a lot of blood in the tiny veins , it was too soon for her to come out and sadly, she probably won't make it. If yolk is mostly absorbed and there is only a little blood, you can try to take her out.
Dip your finger in water to wet the membrane and slowly peel it from her head down. The membrane will be attached at her navel, don't break it off if it looks wet & juicy. Put her back in the incubator so she can rest & get dry, away from the other chicks. Make sure she does not tangle her feet in the membrane cord & tear it off, let it dry out and it should come off on it's own.
You may find she does not get up and run around as quickly as the others & she may sleep a lot. I put mine in a clear plastic box in the brooder so she can see the others but not be trampled or pecked by them. Some poultry vitamins in the water should give her a boost.

Hope she makes it!

 

[jimma207]

I have tried to be patient. I tried to peel some of the shell back at the large end. I can see she has pipped out of the membrane. The membrane still looks like it has tiny blood vessels in it. I cant tell if the yolk has been absorbed yet. I see what you mean about shrink wrapped. I tried to wet it down with a paper towel. I dont think I want to touch the membrane, any thoughts?

 

[lboehmer2]

Mine are in the same boat right this minute... I removed a tiny piece of membrane from over his nostrils hours ago and he's fine....
Just don't pull him out of the shell, you will notice his stomache still needs to absorb the sac and if that tears before he absorbs it, he will die.

 

[meriruka]

I would peel the membrane back gently from over her head by dipping your finger in water and slowly moving it down to free the head. Put her back in the incubator, but you will have to keep wetting that membrane - if it dries out too much she won't be able to move.

 

[shadburnchicks]

We're in the same boat too. 6 hatched over the past 2 days and 4 are left behind. This is our first time and we didn't realize you couldn't open the incubator after lockdown. These 4 pipped 2 days ago and you could tell they were drying out. Several had large holes and 2 had smaller holes. We attempted to pull back the shell and membrane that looked really dry. Then we did like several said and wet the membrane with warm water. We did this in the bathroom after we let the shower run with hot water so they didn't loose all the humidity. I'm not so sure any of them will make it but they're still alive and moving.

So how often should we apply warm water to their membrane? Does it matter that we'll have to open the incubator again?

Good luck to you all!

 

[kyrose]

whenever ive had this problem i wet a face clothe with warm water and wrap the whole egg(leave a hole where the face is so they can breath)and put it back in the bator.this help the membrane stay moist..good luck.

 

[jimma207]

shes half way out. I got the top of her shell off and out of the membrane without bleeding. her lower half is still in the shell and I cant see if there is a yolk sac or not. shes chirping, but not moving. I guess only morning will tell. from what I can see everything else looks good. good luck to everyone else.

 

[lexgold]

good luck everyone...what amazingly helpful things you learn on here...mine are gong into lockdown...I'll know what to do if I have this problem now...