Help!!!!first Time Hatcher, I Made A Big Mistake!!!

[Tanichca]

it is day 24, with no babies pipping or anything, and so i took the advice of fellow BYCers and made a hole in an egg to check, and there was something moving around inside, and blood. the hole is about a centimeter in diameter and i put some clear tape over it but what do i do now? do i go ahead and open it up fully and hope the baby survives? HELP!!!!!! THIS IS MY FIRST HATCH AND I AM TOTALLY IN THE DARK!!!!!!

 

[Buster's Banties]

Deep breathing!!!

Time to get these babies born. Have a clean cloth in the incubator to set the chicks on once you get them out. Remember there will be goo and blood so you might want to do this privately; have something to catch the pieces of egg. More in next post.

 

[Buster's Banties]

Now, take the egg you opened and start chipping around the top (the broad end) and peel off the inner membrane. Leave the tapered end alone so that there's at least a chance for the chick to keep absorbing yolk. Set the chick on the cloth and let it finish doing it's think. If the yolk is absorbed the chick will probably squirm to get out. If it's stuck you might be able to help it get unstuck but carefully crunching the shell and adding warm water to loosen dried out mucus.

 

[Buster's Banties]

Be gentle, be brave...

Chicks on the half shell have about 40% chance of survival. Keep them warm. If it doesn't stress the umbilicus too much you might dip the beaks in water to help them stay hydrated.

 

[ranchhand]

Is your day count 100% accurate? Because if you saw blood and wiggling, the chick isn't ready to hatch yet. Leave it be, and stop opening the incubator. That's a very small opening, it should be okay.

Good luck!

 

[Tanichca]

No, the baby stopped wiggling after i opened the shell a bit more. a few minutes later it died.

at least now i know some of the eggs are good.. i am letting Momma hen stay on the other ones until they all hatch. if they all hatch. i hope that wasn't the only good one....

I buried the little guy down behind the chicken run, under a large amount of dirt+rocks so that the cats and dog dont get to it....I feel so AWEFUL!!!!!!

 

[Katy]

Sorry but I disagree with Buster's Banties 100%. If there was blood when you made the hole....I don't care what your day count is they are not ready to hatch.

 

[kelseygirl707]

Quote:
Very True, if you ever see blood, first rule is to stop, put it back in the bator and let it be. When the chick is ready the veins will dry up, making it so it won't bleed. It's a lesson we all have to learn, hope you still get some babies outta this hatch.

 

[kelseygirl707]

Also if your temp was running cool, (maybe your thermometer wasn't accurate), then your babies may be late. It's best to candle before tossing when they are late, rather and breaking the shell.

 

[Buster's Banties]

Ah well, we each have our own methodology that works best for us and our instincts. When she said blood that could have been gushing thin blood filling the shell or a bloody goo. If the first is encountered the chick is as good as gone. If the second is encountered the chick can survive if action is taken.

My experience has been that a chick who is already this delayed in hatching and by the grace of god is still alive, and now has a centimeter hole in the shell (which IMO is large enough to dry out a membrane in short order) should be gently hatched.

I've lost far more chicks waiting then by acting - however, it's taken years of experience to be this successful with chicks on the half-shell. I've had more trouble with internal damage from the navel getting jostled than with chicks bleeding to death.

Also, I was under the impression this chick was in an incubator rather than a hen who control the humidity much closer to perfection. Once the egg shell has been compromised the chance for the inner membrane to dry out exponentially increases - especially in this weather. Time is of essence.

I'm sorry your chick died.