HELP WITH AN ASSISTED HATCH!!!!!

[Sonya9]

Is the chick trying to get out of the shell? If in doubt wait, if the yolk has not been absorbed or if the membrane still has active veins you could easily kill the baby by chipping away more shell.

 

[AmyLynn2374]

Good news! Checked the egg this morning, and almost all veins had receded! I peeled off the egg shell all around the air cell, but left the membrane intact. They're a few veins, but most are all shriveled. I'll check her in 3 hours to see if I can peel the membrane back... so excited that I'm about to see my special chick!

At this point, you've done good. You have given the chick time for the vascular system between chick and egg to shut down and you've kept your humidity up and the membranes moist. Good job! You shouldn't have any problem freeing her now. I recommend that before you pull back the membrane take a q-tip and wet the membrane first. This will make it easier to manuever and it will also show if there are any prominent membranes, which at this late in the game, I doubt. (If there is though, stop and warp the egg in a moist paper towel and return to the bator.) Make sure you post pics once the little one is out and ready to meet the world.

 

[saltandpepper2]

Thanks for all the great advice, but the chick failed to survive. When it finally got out, I realized that it's yolk had burst, and that's most likely why it had started out strong, and simply failed. The bottom of the egg was filled with yolk and blood

. It's still alive. But I honestly don't see how it will live for long.

 

[saltandpepper2]

On a different note... Another chick just pipped on the wrong side of the egg.... Do I need to try to help this one too???

 

[lazy gardener]

I'd put the pip facing up, and give it lots of time. Keep that humidity up.

 

[saltandpepper2]

I'd put the pip facing up, and give it lots of time.  Keep that humidity up.

I did move the egg so that its facing up. So it might be able to zip through the small end?

 

[lazy gardener]

It might, but most likely will not b/c the small end is so cramped. What I'm finding over time is that whan an egg pips and does not progress, if I give it 24 hours and it still does not progress, then it's safe in terms of blood vessel and yolk absorption to cautiously assist. I'd rather leave the chick in a dry egg, totally glued, as long as it has plenty of breathing space at the pip, than try to assist early and run into blood vessel issues. When I assist a dry chick, it's super easy to chip off the shell, and then cradle the egg in my hands, dipping as needed in a bowl of comfortably warm bath water. 92* water is "thermally neutral" meaning that your body will not loose or gain heat from water at that temp, so you want to dip your elbow, and go with a temp that would be right for new-born baby bath, or baby bottle. Remember, that if water floods into the membrane, it can then back wash, or pocket and pool and then come up to drown the baby if his face/head is not clear of membrane. So, I don't do the water, until I'm ready to commit to clearing the head.

 

[saltandpepper2]

Thanks for the info! It looks like the chick is kind of randomly pecking at the shell, because the line of pecks isn't going in the normal direction... I'll wait until tomorrow to help if she needs it, she seem to be doing alright at the moment.

 

[saltandpepper2]

Just hatched! Does she look ok to you??

 

[saltandpepper2]

She doesn't seem to be able to walk... Her back is curved, and she can't straighten out