Help with a malpositioned chick - how do I best assist it in hatching??!

[Aubjava]

Hi BYCers,

I have a malpositioned chick that started to pip between 12:30 pm and 2:00 pm on day 19.5 (as in 468 hours into the incubation process). The time is now 1 am on day 20.25 (approximately 486 hours into incubation). About an hour ago, at around 11:30 pm, I decided to pull the egg with the malpositioned chick out of the incubator and try to assist it with hatching because I noticed that while the chick had made a little bit of progress, the membrane that was exposed around it's pipped area was drying out. I was also worried that the chick might be having trouble zipping because it is malpositioned.

I pulled back a bit of the shell and both the outer membrane and a tiny bit of the inner membrane to make sure that the chick could breathe well. However, I noticed a little bit of blood and stopped at that point. I put the egg into a small, separate incubator in the bathroom. I am lifting the lid of the incubator every 10-15 minutes to dampen the membrane with a q-tip and warm water to keep it moist, and running the shower to increase humidity in the room every time I open the lid. The chick is moving it's beak and making chirping sounds intermittently.

My question is, what is the best thing I can do to help the chick now? Should I just keep moistening the exposed membrane throughout the night and watch to see if it makes any more progress on its own? I am worried that the rest of the membrane still underneath the egg shell might start drying out. Should I partially wrap the egg in a moist paper towel, leaving the pipped area exposed so it can breath?

Below is a photo of what the egg looks like now. You can see the chick's beak poking through. Please let me know your suggestions for how to proceed. Thanks in advance!!!

 

[LaFleche]

Hello Aubjava,

from my point of view it would have been best to leave it in the incubator. Membranes do not dry out so quickly and even less when pipped on the pointy side.

As you have already moved it in its private little incubator I would advise to not lift the incubator lid, stop the constant moistening and not wrap the egg, just leave it alone at 65% humidity and give the chick some much needed rest after the difficult task of successfully pipping on the wrong side.

Just two weeks ago I had two malpositioned pipping on the pointy side - one slightly bleeding as it must have hit a blood vessel - and the two managed just fine although it took them half a day longer to hatch than the other 31 chicks.

As long as your chick is still breathing and moving there is no need to intervene. It might just need more time to recover and bring itself in the right position for zipping due to the malposition.

You could check on the progress every 4-6 hours, but without lifting the lid.

 

[Aubjava]

Thank you, LaFleche! I really appreciate your response! I am scared that the membrane will dry up if I step away for too long. That is my biggest fear at this point since the chick seems to be getting a good amount of oxygen. I just don't want her to get shrink-wraped in her egg. But I'll try to listen to your suggestions!

I intervened in the first place because this BYC post (https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/step-by-step-guide-to-assisted-hatching.64660/) suggests that if externally pipped, malpositioned chicks do not make progress for 10-12 hrs, one can "begin a slow assist."

 

[LaFleche]

I understand your worry, we all want the best for our chicks.

But at this early stage the best is giving it much needed time, otherwise you may end up hatching a chick that has not yet absorbed the yolk sack or might bleed to death due to blood vessel injuries which unevitably occur when helped too early.

 

[LaFleche]

"....if externally pipped, malpositioned chicks do not make progress for 10-12 hrs, one can "begin a slow assist."

Better make that 24 hours.

 

[Aubjava]

Ok, so I've left it alone for the past 30ish minutes and dimmed the lighting. This is what the membrane looks like right now. Do you think that looks ok? I was moistening it earlier because it kept browning like this on the edges.

 

[LaFleche]

Still looks o.k. to me. A little browning on the edges may also be due to some leftover yolk or urates.

Moistening the membranes with water will actually dry them out even quicker.

In case there really is need for additional moistening, it would be better to apply minute amounts of coconut oil to prevent further dehydration and shrinking of the membranes.

 

[LaFleche]

Is there any progress at all?

 

[Aubjava]

Thank you for checking back in. I ended up helping her out of the egg around 7:15am because she still hadn't made any progress over the course of the night. I slowly started chipping away at her shell and peeling the membrane back. I didn't see any blood or blood vessels in the membrane, except for one tiny spot of blood on top of her head close to where the membrane had kind of dried and stuck onto some feathers above her eye.

However, when she finally came out of her shell, I noticed some weird brown and white gunk at the bottom of her egg and a little bit of blood. Her navel was protruding out a little. I am wondering if she developed a yolk infection at some point over the past few days. The gunky-stuff didn't smell bad, but it didn't look normal. She was really weak and uncoordinated when she came out of the shell and was taking a lot of naps. Now of course, I am questioning whether I did the right thing

I've been doing some reading online about yolk sac infections and if she has that, it seems her prognosis looks grim. Right now, I have her still in the separate little incubator drying off. She is slowly gaining some coordination. I really hope she makes it! I can't earnestly say I wish I had just left her alone from the beginning because I think I would have been beating myself up for not helping her if she died in the egg. I feel like I would be questioning my decision either way, wondering if the alternative would have worked out better for her.

I moved her incubator closer to the main incubator so that she can at least hear and see the other chicks. She definitely seemed to perk up a bit when she heard them chirping. I also put a little bit of iodine on her navel. Do you think it is ok to leave her in that little incubator for a day or so? Should I keep the humidity at like 40-50 RH for her or just let it drop down? What should I do over the next few days if she survives?

Here is a picture of her and her egg a little while after she got out (note the "gunk" was a lot more moist when she initially came out, but I didn't snap a photo of it right away, so it had dried a bit by the time I thought to take a picture).

 

[LaFleche]

By tomorrow your cute little Blondie will be much better and the now still protruding navel area should be absorbed and look quite normal.

Do not worry about the gunk, its just some old blood and metabolite.

Do you think it is ok to leave her in that little incubator for a day or so? Should I keep the humidity at like 40-50 RH for her or just let it drop down? What should I do over the next few days if she survives?

I do not know what time it is now in your country and time zone. But I would give it some more time ( roughly 8 more hours until next morning) in the incubator at around 50% RH and prepare the brooder with something cuddly (plush teddy or the like).

When you take Blondie out, immediately give her some tea with vitamins to compensate the blood loss and have some millet and boiled egg scattered allover the brooder to encourage the picking.
You can administer the tea drop by drop using a straw or dropper/pipette.

How about the rest of the bunch, did anyone else hatch yet?