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[AmandaMiller1012]

So I’ve messed up and I feel horrible about it but I was worried the baby chick was going to drown. It should be hatch day so I candled one of my eggs to see what was going on (which I know is bad)and it looked as if the chick pipped into the air sack.. I paniced and carfully chipped at the air sack to try and save the chick from possibly drowning. But the chick is still inside the membrane and I did not break it just to be on the safe side. It’s been over 20 minuets and the chick is still alive. Do you think it will still hatch? What can I do to make sure it dose survive my foolishness. Thank you

 

[AmandaMiller1012]

 

[Deryk]

First, everyone talks about chicks "drowning" in the shell. If a chick is going to drown in the shell it is because the air sac never developed properly and you won't be able to save it anyway. It would make that initial internal pip to get air and just not find any.

Now that you have opened the bator and then also the shell the greater concern for that particular egg is if the membrane dried out and shrink-wrapped the baby. I am no expert, but what I would do is make sure the humidity is still in the 70% range or higher and don't open the bator unless to take an action. Keep a close eye on the chick to see if it tries to push it's way out of the shell and can't because of the dry membrane. It could lay there for hours now without much progress but if it is alive let nature take it's course. What it should be doing at this point is absorbing the rest of the yolk and drawing in the blood vessels in the membrane. If you break the membrane prematurely it can bleed out.

Good luck and keep us posted.

 

[AmandaMiller1012]

Thank you the chick is still a live and moving but what I am seeing is her back side. And possibly her head I’m not positive. Should I attempt to fine her beak?

 

[Deryk]

I can only tell you what I would do. Hopefully someone here with more experience will provide input.

If it is alive I would put it back in the bator and wait for it to push out of the shell when it is ready. If it wasn't even pipped when you chipped away the shell it could be a while.

What made you think it was going to drown?

 

[AmandaMiller1012]

It was a bad judgment call. I’ve had so many eggs die right before hatching day. According to research they egg had no signs of it, the air sack was fine... I guess there is a reason why humans don’t lay eggs.

 

[N Sully]

This was helpful to me when I had problems.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/step-by-step-guide-to-assisted-hatching.64660/

*hope everything turns out ok for you and your chick

 

[N Sully]

Did you open the egg where the air cell is located?

 

[AmandaMiller1012]

Yes thank you, I’ve been looking at that. Yes I did open where the air cell was located.

 

[N Sully]

How is your chick doing? Did it hatch yet?