how do i know when to help?

[jonhlawless18]

i went up to my aunts house over thanksgiving and she has lots of chickens so i brought some eggs home and put them in the incubator. for the last day i have been hearing peeps and the chicks have started pecking out and have their beaks out they are still peeping and i can see that they are all alive it seem that they are struggling. over the last 24 hours their has been no progress. i added some more water on the bottom of the incubator hoping that more humitity will soften the egg shells. I have incubated eggs manytimes before but this time it is like they all have stopped.. not one has made progress. new eggs start to hatch and then stop at the exact same time in the hatch. i want to help but dont want to do any harm for the chicks. is their anything i can do? what do you suggest?
thanks so much!!

 

[sumi]

You can help them by opening the shell a bit, i.e. zip it open for them. Use a pair of tweezers and very carefully break little pieces of the shell off. If you see blood stop, wet it with a drop of water and put it back in the incubator for an hour. If there's no blood open it enough so the chicks can kick out. But do not rush! Very important! Chicks often start hatching and zipping before they absorbed the yolk sac and the blood in the membrane, so if they come out before they are ready they may not make it. Remember some chicks take up to 36 hours to hatch start to finish, so take your time and good luck!

 

[jonhlawless18]

thanks so much! they have been trying to hatch since late monday night i first heard peeping. so its been a little more than 36 hours i will try that! thanks

 

[jonhlawless18]

ok i just helped a little to one i got the eggs about 1/4 the way off and saw that their was still a little yolk and also i think i might know the reason its taken so long it looks like it possibly could have 3 legs... i have never seen anything like it and dont know what to do...

 

[sumi]

OMG, I hope you are wrong...

If the yolk sac's not absorbed leave it and crank up the humidity so it doesn't dry out and get stuck in the shell. Good luck and keep me posted!

 

[mstricer]

I stopped helping, when my help was not needed and the chick bled to death. Will never help again.

 

[jonhlawless18]

ok i was wrong the chick is healthy and is doing good and got itself out of the egg the rest of the way.. turns out the egg was a double yolker and both yolks were fertile and one died early in incubation... i am amazed that this one is living when it came out of the eggs i saw nasty looking yolk come out of the egg and go all over the bottom of the bator and i was freaked out and thought that for sure that chick was not developed and broke the yolk sac.. i guess not.. i did not get a good enough look at the inside of the egg to see if there is any evidence of another embryo.. the egg was not to big either.. weird but i did check the chick and it is healthy. has anyone ever had this happen.. please help!!thanks so much . i will keep you updated on what happens

 

[kizanne]

In a case like yours I often help but in a very specific way. I will peel off the egg shell just where the air sac is located. Then I'll use a syringe to moisten the membrane being careful not to get any in the beak of the chick (don't want them to drown). Moisten a paper towel use it to place the egg back in the incubator with the beak up at about a 45 degree angle. I remoisten the membrane every couple hours. I find occasionally if the pip early and take a long time to zip that their membrane dries out even when my bator is at 65% humidity. This allows them to finish absorbing blood and yolk if needed but doesn't really put them at risk because all your doing is making it easier to breath and they can push out when they are ready with the membrane moist.

If I get a chance I'll load some pictures later.

 

[sumi]

ok i was wrong the chick is healthy and is doing good and got itself out of the egg the rest of the way.. turns out the egg was a double yolker and both yolks were fertile and one died early in incubation... i am amazed that this one is living when it came out of the eggs i saw nasty looking yolk come out of the egg and go all over the bottom of the bator and i was freaked out and thought that for sure that chick was not developed and broke the yolk sac.. i guess not.. i did not get a good enough look at the inside of the egg to see if there is any evidence of another embryo.. the egg was not to big either.. weird but i did check the chick and it is healthy. has anyone ever had this happen.. please help!!thanks so much . i will keep you updated on what happens

Well, thank goodness for that and wow... usually if the first embryo quits the second one doesn't make it either. This baby wanted to live! Have you got pics for us?

And what's happening with the rest of the eggs? Any progress?

 

[jonhlawless18]

i will post pics in a bit I want to give it some time and right now it is still kinda in the egg. i know that is what i have heard about them usually both dying i dont know how it made it because the other yolk STINKS! the rest of the eggs are doing good another 2 broke through their shells since i first posted. i will keep you updated on how the little miricle is doing. and post pictures soon.