Help!! First time incubating eggs--Sticky chick?

[marycorbin]

This is my first time hatching eggs. I borrowed a still air incubator with an auto turner. My temps were off at the start of incubation (a little too low, but I got a new themometer and everything was good from then on). On day 18, we candled the eggs (8 of the 12 were good, 3 we couldn't see well, and one was undeveloped), increased the humidity and waited, suspecting we'd have a late hatch because of the temps.
I woke up the morning of the 22nd day with a hatched chick, one unzipped egg, and two pipped eggs (but completely broken through membrane and shell)...and soon had 2 hatched. They were stumbling around and slamming all the other eggs around. :/ One of the pipped eggs stopped moving for an hour or so. I panicked and asked an old farmer friend what to do and he said get scoop the hatched ones out quickly and close it back up. So I did.
Nothing changed for an hour-- the one that pipped but was still, still wasn't moving, and the other pipped one was chirping away. Then the active one went still and hasn't moved all day.
Did I kill this poor baby when I opened the incubator? The humidity did drop for a few minutes, but it's well over 70 now (75ish).
When do you assist? Is there any point with no movement for over 4 hours (are they already dead)? Is there anything I can besides wait?

 

[marycorbin]

Those two are dead. It looks like one is shrink wrapped (my fault I suppose, from when I opened the incubator to remove the hatched chicks), and the other I'm not sure, it looks like it just gave up. I'm super sad about it, especially the one that I am at fault for.
I keep getting conflicting advice: "never open the incubator" "definitely get the active chicks out" "Leave active chicks in" "it doesn't matter either way".....

 

[AmyLynn2374]

Those two are dead. It looks like one is shrink wrapped (my fault I suppose, from when I opened the incubator to remove the hatched chicks), and the other I'm not sure, it looks like it just gave up. I'm super sad about it, especially the one that I am at fault for.
I keep getting conflicting advice: "never open the incubator" "definitely get the active chicks out" "Leave active chicks in" "it doesn't matter either way".....

First off, sorry about your chicks. And you can breath easy because unless you had real low humidity or had your bator open for a prolonged amount of time, you opening the bator is not the likely cause. People like attributing opening the bator to the reason for chicks not making it when in reality it is rare if you have humidity and aren't standing there with the top off. I am CONSTANTLY in and out of my bator during hatch. Seriously, if anyone was going to have chicks "shrink wrapped" it would be me. I remove my chicks, take out egg shells, flip over pippers and assist when I feel the need. I have NEVER lost a pipper/zipper. Never had a pipped egg "shrinkwrap". I have 90-100% hatches and healthy chicks. So don't blame yourself.

Many people are hands off hatchers and that's fine. Nothing wrong with it. If you are not comfortable opening after lockdown you shouldn't. However, there are many of us that do.

I would sooner say that the lower temps in the begining probably caused weaker chicks and no matter what you did the outcome would have been the same. Day 22 isn't too bad for still getting healthy chicks, but there are those that are affected more by the slower development.

So don't beat yourself up, chances are that it had nothing to do with opening the bator.

 

[marycorbin]

Wow, thank you so much, I feel a lot better hearing that from someone experienced. The more research I do (I've been reading all morning), the more I believe it was just a weak chick. It doesn't look anything like the pictures of shrink wrapped chicks.
It's still super sad though.
On a happier note, these two are looking good!

 

[AmyLynn2374]

Wow, thank you so much, I feel a lot better hearing that from someone experienced. The more research I do (I've been reading all morning), the more I believe it was just a weak chick. It doesn't look anything like the pictures of shrink wrapped chicks.
It's still super sad though.
On a happier note, these two are looking good!

Awe, they're adorable!! Congrats on the hatchers!

 

[PeepsForUs]

Hey! I have a sticky chick. He's fully zipped and has been for 24hrs but just can't get the shell off! I just opened my incubator to see if I could help him. The egg is completely stuck to him! The humidity in the bater has been stuck at 70% since lockdown. Can I help this chick??? It's breathing and pipping strong! If I can help it, how do I help unglue the egg?

Question two... There are two other eggs that have pips. The chicks inside are still a bit wet but they've only had one pip for over 24hrs. Can I help them? They're both peeping but I don't know how to help!

So far we have about 18 live chicks from a 33 egg hatch. This is our second try at incubating. The first time, we incubated shipped eggs and none of them made it. This batch hatched 1-2 days early. We put them in the 27th of May and all that have hatched, hatched yesterday between 5am-10pm.