Help Please 🄲 External pip on day 18, 8 hours after she knocks some shell off, reveals a VERY yellow membrane- Help? 🄺

Jojociita

Chirping
Aug 25, 2023
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Ok so this is like my 5th hatch and I’ve tried a variety of different homemade incubators. This one has been most successful. Thus far, this little girl, who is an overly large egg, pipped at exactly 1 PM eastern,(it’s about 9pm now and I actually caught the pip on camera. She’s continued to make her pip larger in a general area but not begun to turn. she’s also been VERY vocal and finally managed to knock off a giant piece of shell. I’m attaching a picture, but when she knocked the piece off the top, I noticed that the membrane was very, VERY yellow. She keeps popping her beak out and… what looks like, eating pieces of the membrane? But she hasn’t begun to turn or zip.

She seems very lively, vocal and moving more (with her beak) than any other chic I’ve ever hatched. However, she’s not moved from that initial pip position and I’m afraid her inner membrane is stuck. Like I noted, she’s very vocal, but in my mind, sounding distressed.

What do I do? 😭 Am I to wrap her in a paper towel, moisten the membrane with some coconut oil or something of the sort, and just put her back, or do I just let her do her thing the? The pip hole is already so large that I don’t think I’d need to remove any additional shell but I don’t know. Im fairly certain she pipped into her air cell and then out about 12 hour later.

The incubator is currently at 76% humidity but I did have issues keeping it under 60% during the incubation. It seems like she wants out NOW, and it seems like she’s done with her pre-hatching processes. Aka; she’s not opening and closing her mouth (showing that she’s absorbing her yoke still), and her beak is all over the place eating at the membrane.

I’m just at a loss and worried. I know the egg was too big to begin with and I’m not sure why I tempted fate. I don’t know why I put it in there, but for some reason she was the first one to PIP (three days early at that) and I don’t want o lie her if I can help it. I don’t think she needs a full assist (I’m well acquainted with the ā€œassisted hatchingā€ thread, and not eager to do a full assist wen I don’t think she needs it.

Please help! I’m attaching pictures of her current state, the pip and the pip 4 hours later. I apologize that the images are overwhelmingly yellow but the lights tend to do that. I assure you that, in person, her membrane is in fact yellow.

Right now;
IMG_9292.jpeg

Initial pip at 1pm est;
IMG_9269.jpeg

Pip at 5pm EST;
IMG_9289.jpeg
 
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Hi! You can moisten the membrane with coconut oil but I wouldn't assist yet. Takes 12 to 24 hours for a chicken egg to hatch. Tagging @Kiki for some expertise.
Thank you for your prompt response šŸ’› I’m Definitely not assisting yet 🫣 way way too early, but I did NOT expect a full yellow membrane when she knocked that piece off. I’m seeing if I can attach a Gif I made of her chaotic bopping about. (Edit, I can’t), but it’s fast, and frantic. Turns out, no coconut oil on hand. I have apricot oil (meant ffor skin and hair), grapeseed oil and avocado oil(for cooking), aquaphor (for tattoos? šŸ˜), and Bacitrin without any fancy additives. Not sure which is best. I’m just worried her inner membrane has glued itself to her because of the humidity issues and she simply can’t move. But more humidity wouldn’t help a sticky or a ā€œwetā€ chick, would it? Oh lawd it’s always something. I just want to let her do her thing without my humidity issues during incubation spoiling her chances. šŸ’”
 
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I’m wondering, after frantic research, if the fact that she was already a HUGE egg, AND that I had trouble keeping humidity low in my (4th version) diy incubator, may have made her ā€œwetā€ or ā€œswollenā€?

I feel like the best course of action is to go ahead and gently moisten the exposed membrane and while she’s still super active, research it and how else I can help (if I can or f it’s futile/do tend to). I won’t intervene before 24 hours normally, but if she’s ā€œswollenā€ whatever extra albumen in there will just become concrete if I wait another 12 hours as is dries out. However, if her outer membrane is dry but her inner membrane is.. gelatinous (?), ad I can confirm she’s already absorbed her yolk and her veins, i guess I’ll go in? And after she rests and warms, I’ll give her a sticky chick gentle wash and an indirect hair dryer toast up. Me thinks she just a small chick in a giant egg from an older hen.

My coworker brings me eggs, I hatch them (out of sheer curiousness and obsession), spoil them for a week, and then they go back to him where he (continue to spoil them) brings them into a them in a wonderful Indoor environment until they’re old enough to join the flock in their own coop!!
 
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Yup. So I went to moisten her membrane and she was NOT having it. I didn’t Chico any shell or peel back any membrane, she just wanted out. She busted out like it was a jail break, partially absorbed yolk and veins n all. I think she put a toe thru her yolk because the paper towel had tinges of yellow. Either way I put her (in her bottom shll, upright in a cup) needless to say, she escaped within the hour and is no trying to fluff in the brooder. Other chicks aren’t Even due for another two days. She’s vocal, and narcoleptic (like most newborn chicks), and Al I can do is see if she makes it to tomorrow šŸ¤·šŸ»ā€ā™€ļøšŸ™šŸ«£
P.s. she’s enormous
 

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Yup. So I went to moisten her membrane and she was NOT having it. I didn’t Chico any shell or peel back any membrane, she just wanted out. She busted out like it was a jail break, partially absorbed yolk and veins n all. I think she put a toe thru her yolk because the paper towel had tinges of yellow. Either way I put her (in her bottom shll, upright in a cup) needless to say, she escaped within the hour and is no trying to fluff in the brooder. Other chicks aren’t Even due for another two days. She’s vocal, and narcoleptic (like most newborn chicks), and Al I can do is see if she makes it to tomorrow šŸ¤·šŸ»ā€ā™€ļøšŸ™šŸ«£
P.s. she’s enormous
That is a BIG baby, so cute!
 
That is a BIG baby, so cute!
She’s HUGE. I thought it’d be a normal size chick in a giant egg (and that she wouldn’t be able to hatch at all) but shwew! She’s a big girl! I need to weigh her but in all the jailbreak chaos I forgot to. The other eggs are just beginning to wiggle (today is day 20), so I’m glad I took her out. She would have scrambled everyone else. I’m about to make her a little chick out of just white cotton fabric and she has a mirror for company. Learned how to eat and drink this moron though! Thank you BYC for letting me frantic rant! And ofc the always amazing advice and encouragement šŸ™šŸ£
 
She is huge, that’s for sure! Well done for knowing so much and helping her! I hope the hungry girl or boy does well!
 
Yup. So I went to moisten her membrane and she was NOT having it. I didn’t Chico any shell or peel back any membrane, she just wanted out. She busted out like it was a jail break, partially absorbed yolk and veins n all. I think she put a toe thru her yolk because the paper towel had tinges of yellow. Either way I put her (in her bottom shll, upright in a cup) needless to say, she escaped within the hour and is no trying to fluff in the brooder. Other chicks aren’t Even due for another two days. She’s vocal, and narcoleptic (like most newborn chicks), and Al I can do is see if she makes it to tomorrow šŸ¤·šŸ»ā€ā™€ļøšŸ™šŸ«£
P.s. she’s enormous
That is big for a chick! Next time maybe don’t hatch larger eggs? They are always the ones that need help with hatching.
 

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