Help Hatching Chick or Not?

[LoveMyCornishHen]

My mom and I are hatching chicks for the second time. We hatched 4 chicks around this time last year, and we're hatching around a dozen this time (I can't remember how many have hatched at this point). Today (4/21/2020) is the 21st day, and we had the first pips yesterday around noon and the first couple of hatches last night. Now, there's around 10 in the incubator drying, and a couple of eggs that don't seem to have made it. However, there's one chick who's been working on hatching for almost 24 hours now. The others keep knocking her over and pecking at her. She's created more of a hole than a ring to unzip, and the membrane's starting to dry out. My mom wants to open the incubator to remove the older babies that have fully dried and let the last one hatch in peace, but she's worried about how that will affect the humidity. The incubator is starting to smell from the chicks pooping and remains from eggs festering, and she's worried about endangering all the chicks. So, should we help the baby that's still trying to get out of the egg? I know helping them is discouraged, but I'd like to hear anyone with some experience give their advice. Thanks in advance!

 

[LoveMyCornishHen]

Update: My mom took out 8 and they're doing well. The humidity only went down to 75% after this and it went back up to 80-85 soon after. Sadly one of the chicks never made it out of its shell, but she managed to take it out of the incubator so that won't be an issue overnight. She dripped a little sterile water on the membrane to (hopefully) keep it moist, but she's still quite worried she might lose the chick. She doesn't want to interfere, but she also doesn't want to wake up and find a dead chick she might have been able to save.

 

[JaeG]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/guide-to-assisted-hatching-for-all-poultry.72886/

Read through this article to help you decide. Good luck.

 

[LoveMyCornishHen]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/guide-to-assisted-hatching-for-all-poultry.72886/

Read through this article to help you decide. Good luck.

Thanks for the response! I read through the article and it's very informative. Earlier today, the chick was still unable to get out and the membrane was drying out, so my mom chipped away a little bit of eggshell to see if that would help him/her push out. It only got worse, so a few hours ago she did a full assist and took it out of the shell. The chick was clearly ready to come out, but had been stuck in the egg. It's currently alone in the incubator, but it's not doing great. It can't stand and mostly lays on its back and sleeps and occasionally tries to flip over. When flipped over, it flips right back over again. It pooped while it was stuck in the shell, and seems like it might have pasty butt. We're keeping a close eye on it, but so far he/she is not doing great.

 

[JaeG]

Thanks for the response! I read through the article and it's very informative. Earlier today, the chick was still unable to get out and the membrane was drying out, so my mom chipped away a little bit of eggshell to see if that would help him/her push out. It only got worse, so a few hours ago she did a full assist and took it out of the shell. The chick was clearly ready to come out, but had been stuck in the egg. It's currently alone in the incubator, but it's not doing great. It can't stand and mostly lays on its back and sleeps and occasionally tries to flip over. When flipped over, it flips right back over again. It pooped while it was stuck in the shell, and seems like it might have pasty butt. We're keeping a close eye on it, but so far he/she is not doing great.

It will be very tired from all its struggles, poor thing. Have you got some poultry vitamins or maybe some electrolytes you could give it? Just drip a bit onto the tip of its beak using a q-tip or eye dropper and it should swallow a little. Even some sugar water would help to give it an energy boost. Hatching is hard work but for those that get stuck in some way, it really takes it out of them.

It's the hardest thing to know at what stage to jump in and help. for the little one.

 

[LoveMyCornishHen]

It will be very tired from all its struggles, poor thing. Have you got some poultry vitamins or maybe some electrolytes you could give it? Just drip a bit onto the tip of its beak using a q-tip or eye dropper and it should swallow a little. Even some sugar water would help to give it an energy boost. Hatching is hard work but for those that get stuck in some way, it really takes it out of them.

It's the hardest thing to know at what stage to jump in and help. for the little one.

Yes, we've been feeding it poultry vitamins mixed with water. He/she can stand on their own now, however, the main issue I'm noticing its neck still cranes as if it's still in the egg. It can lift it, and occasionally will, but when it's standing and sleeping (it's standing up while it sleeps, for some reason) it's neck still bends. I'm hoping this is just a temporary side effect of being trapped in the egg so long, and that it will improve soon.

 

[JaeG]

It could have wry neck. Here's a link with a video to see if that's what you are seeing with your little one, and a recipe of what you need to give her. It's usually a Vitamin E deficiency and it's advised that you give them that and selenium as selenium is needed to absorb the Vitamin E. Unlike in the video you can hold the chick's head to support it while you are trying to give it some of the supplement.

I'm very glad to hear it has recovered so well after its ordeal.

 

[LoveMyCornishHen]

It could have wry neck. Here's a link with a video to see if that's what you are seeing with your little one, and a recipe of what you need to give her. It's usually a Vitamin E deficiency and it's advised that you give them that and selenium as selenium is needed to absorb the Vitamin E. Unlike in the video you can hold the chick's head to support it while you are trying to give it some of the supplement.

I'm very glad to hear it has recovered so well after its ordeal.

Great news! As of this morning, the chick's neck is totally back to normal! Yesterday I hand fed it poultry vitamins and electrolyte water every hour/couple hours. Today, it's standing perfectly and is getting better at walking. I'm guessing it was just in the egg too long since it seems it's recovered totally. (It probably was meant to come out a little later, but after many of the other chicks were born they pecked at the egg and widened the external pip, which caused the membrane to dry out quite a bit.) I expect he/she can go in with the other chicks after a day or so. Thanks for your help throughout this!

 

[UThobbyfarmer]

Great news! As of this morning, the chick's neck is totally back to normal! Yesterday I hand fed it poultry vitamins and electrolyte water every hour/couple hours. Today, it's standing perfectly and is getting better at walking. I'm guessing it was just in the egg too long since it seems it's recovered totally. (It probably was meant to come out a little later, but after many of the other chicks were born they pecked at the egg and widened the external pip, which caused the membrane to dry out quite a bit.) I expect he/she can go in with the other chicks after a day or so. Thanks for your help throughout this!

That's amazing! Well done you guys.

 

[JaeG]

Great news! As of this morning, the chick's neck is totally back to normal! Yesterday I hand fed it poultry vitamins and electrolyte water every hour/couple hours. Today, it's standing perfectly and is getting better at walking. I'm guessing it was just in the egg too long since it seems it's recovered totally. (It probably was meant to come out a little later, but after many of the other chicks were born they pecked at the egg and widened the external pip, which caused the membrane to dry out quite a bit.) I expect he/she can go in with the other chicks after a day or so. Thanks for your help throughout this!

That's fantastic news. You've done an awesome job with the little one.