HELP! Our first time to hatch chicks...

[MnBFitz]

We have a chick that's hatched and has a piece of shell stuck to it's back. It's been hatched for 6-8 hours and isn't drying at all because of high humidity. We still have other eggs with pips. What do we do???

 

[Pyxis]

It's fine. I'm of the opinion that you can take it out and put it in the warm brooder now if you want and pick off the piece of shell. Others will tell you opening the incubator will cause all the others to shrink wrap and die, but I and many others have had a hands on approach and open the incubator all the time during hatch and have never had a problem.

Or you can just leave it until the others are done hatching. A stuck piece of shell and it not drying out aren't emergencies, it'll be fine

 

[MnBFitz]

Thanks! We did finally take it out and it's been drying but the stuck shell is still on it. I was scared to try and remove it for fear of pulling feathers or whatever. I guess it will eventually fall off huh?

 

[Pyxis]

You can use warm water on a q-tip to loosen it up Sounds like he was a bit sticky after hatching!

 

[MnBFitz]

Poor thing passed away in my hubby's hand today.