Help! Humidity or struggling chick?

[alicat4]

I have 44 eggs in a bator, three hatched, two pipped and one that's made it half way around his shell, but has been stuck for over 24 hours. He's still struggling valiantly, but he's got his beak out up to where his beak meets flesh and the shell is starting to cut into it. Since his beak is out, he can't get it back in to pip the rest of the way. My humidity has sucked during the hatch, too. I poked some sponge strips in the plug holes and that brought it up a lot, but they've dried out now and the humidity has fallen again. The chicks have all been hatched for awhile, with the latest hatching before 7am this morning. SO...do I take the risk of opening the bator to help the struggler out? While I've got it open, I could take out the babies and move them to the brooder and wet the sponges to up the humidity. Is it worth the risk? What would you do in this situation?

 

[DALBERT]

I would use a straw to get water on the sponges through the vent to get the humidity up . If that does not help it is your choice to help the chick or not.

 

[alicat4]

Great idea! Why didn't I think of that?? I'll give it a go and let you know.

 

[bock]

That is just CRUEL!!!Help the poor thing, do a good deed!!!

 

[alicat4]

I'm not trying to be cruel at all! I'm trying to keep from being cruel to the other 39 chicks! If I can't keep the humidity up, they'll ALL die stuck in the shells, right? Wow. I've never been called cruel before. I really care for these chicks, I've invested the last month of my life in them and would never want to hurt a single chick.

 

[DALBERT]

I think they where refering to my comment as cruel not yours and I think they where also joking

 

[realmofthewoodsranch]

You're not being cruel, you're trying to do the right thing. I say that you're at the best place to look for help, and no one has any right to pass judgement on you. I think you're doing just great, and you need to do what you think is best.

 

[alicat4]

Well, I don't think your comment was cruel either. Farm life is farm life and that involves some gruesome things. Making a rational (as opposed to emotional) decision isn't cruel, it's usually wise. I hope they were joking.

 

[TennesseeTruly]

I've had to raise the humidity a few times during this hatch and I have 60cc needless syringes. I just fill them up with warm water and stick them inside the vent holes and add more water. Its working great for me.

Good luck!!

Laurie

 

[DALBERT]

well put