I have a chick the I had to assist. It was pipping at the wrong end. She is out of the egg but very lethargic. She was covered in sticky stuff and it is now drying on her. What should I do.
Glad you could join the flock! Sounds like she hatched with albumen (egg white) on her. You will need to clean this off her with some water but make sure she does not get chilled. It would be easier to get it off now while it's still wet as the more she dries the harder the albumen will become. It sticks them up and they can't fluff up with it on. Even chicks that hatch themselves are very tired so with her being an assisted she may be even more tired and a little weak. It's quite normal for tired chicks. I would give her a clean best you can for now and let her rest.
Thank you. She got chilled during the assist so I put her back in the incubator. A lot of it has dried. I talked to an equine vet (only one I could get on the phone) she said to take her out and wash her off with warm towel. She has membrane stuck to her thigh. She did open her eyes and poop while I was washing her off.
You can also use a hair dryer on her, not hot or too close, some birds even like that. You might need to use a bit of soap on her to break up the sticky clumps/ She will feel better when she can move freely.
Thank you everyone. So far my little one has amazed me. We started out by pipping at the wrong end after 24 hours of no progress I stared to assist that took 12 hours. Several times I was sure she/he wouldn't make it. This is my first hatch, thank God for the internet and the equine vet that gave me a few minutes of her time. I have no clue what I'm doing. The legs were wrapped around the head. Once out of the shell the leg laid back and the chick was unable to walk but now the leg seems to be righting its self. There is still some egg white stuck here and there. I know we aren't completely out of the woods but this little one is a fighter.