Intervention: Helping Your Chicks Hatch

[andien]

Silkie :

Thanks so much for your information we are doing exactly what you are specifing in your post. We are full rookies this being our first hatch. You are saving some of our Araucana, and Blue Laced Red Wyandotte chicks taht have a few of these issues.Thank you Thank you Thank you!!!

 

[Lesalynn]

Hi everyone. I'm new here. Just had to share my good news. I decided to try incubating a batch of eggs off my chickens. Started out with 42 eggs, by day eight 12 had to go, no good. This has been one of the most amazing things I have experienced. Made a candler out of cardboard box, and light. Set it up in my closet (hubby didn't know what to think about that). Made periodic checks on days had been told could candle. The majority of my eggs were very easy to candle. Of course there are those I could not see much at all, but think are viable. Yesterday was day 19, and lo and behold-------CHICKS!!!! Boy, am I glad I took out the auto-turner the day before. As of right now, I have 15 very healthy-looking chicks. I was not sure I should, but I helped several out of their eggs. They were very large, no room to move in the egg. Luckily, they are doing very well. I still have 15 eggs left in the incubator. The last time they were candled they were viable. That was on day 18. Can anyone tell me how long I should hold out hope they will hatch?? Thank you in advance.

 

[nhnanna]

from NH.
I would leave them in a few days past day 21 to make sure. Do not open the bator if you don't have too. When you open the incubator, you let out the humidity needed by the chicks to hatch. They might get what we call shrink wrapped because of no moisture. The professionals will tell you not to open it until the hatch is done but I have been known to open it real quick if I see a chick in trouble. I keep a spray bottle next to the bator for that purpose. If I have to open it, I give it a quick spray of warm water to get the humidity right back up there. Good luck on your hatch and don't forget to post pictures.

 

[JenTurner]

I just had to help a chick out of the egg and membrane, he still has some yok attached and is not moving at all, eyes are still covered even but he has feathers. We had to pull eggs out of the coop because of ants, so he may be too young, he is breathing, I have him in a clth an dunder the hat lamps, any ideas or should I give up hope??

 

[Chickhick]

What do you do about it if the membrane is dried up and stuck to the chick? I helped out a chick this morning after it had made no progress for over 8 hour. (It had been 24 hours since the membrane was broken by the chick.) It was very dry when it came out and pieces of the membrane are stuck to the chick's back. There is a little bit of an "umbilical cord", but just a little pink, not much blood. Baby seems to be doing well; active and healthy looking.

One hatched easily by itself, this one needed help, and there is 1 more left. I helped zip a little and wrapped it up with a wet paper towel. I think it is really dry, too, but it pipped later than the others, so I'm trying not to help out much yet. It has been making no progress for about 8 or 10 hours, but it is still moving.

I thought humidity wouldn't be a problem because I live in a very humid climate, but I guess it was! It even looked humid in there with steam on the plastic walls, and I filled the trays with water. I need a hygrometer... any suggestions of brand or type?

One more question: Do "help outs" tend to produce more chicks that need helping out, or is it just an issue of hatching conditions? I don't want to propigate a problem.

 

[Lesalynn]

I finally got me a hygrometer from Wal-Mart yesterday. (I don't think most associates know what a hygrometer is, so you might want to ask for a "humidity monitor") It was only $8.00, made by Acurite. Is working ok for now, but probably won't last very long, says on the instruction sheet that it is not to be used in a place with water and heat.......will cause problems with the readings...Anyway, I am ordering one from McMurray, is on page 60, and $23.40 plus S&H. A bit much, but looks like what I need...Good luck with your last chick, hope everything works out, and go get you a cheap hygrometer for next hatch, is better than nothing.

 

[bleechme]

From my experience, letting them come out naturally is best. Last year I lost a ton of chicks trying to help them. This year, they all came out fine and none died except the ducking that came out bleeding. The hatching took about 4 days and they are all from 1 batch. I incubated them all at the same time. Some took longer than others but I didn't interfere because of the mortality rate I had last year helping. Honestly, some eggs peeped and fully hatched about 4 hours or less while others may take 24+ hours to hatch. They know when to come out. Remember, some peepers still haven't fully absorbed all their yolk yet so I believe that is why they don't come out. Let nature take it's course. The babies can do it as long as your incubator has the necessary amount of humidity. Mamas never help break the egg shells for their babies, they do cluck to encourage the chicks to come out though.

But this is just from my experience and I'm not telling you guys to not help hatch your eggs. I'm just saying, give them time. Some naturally takes longer than others.

 

[Chickhick]

I wouldn't normally help, but I had to help that one, as it was obviously going to die if I didn't help, and it is doing great now.

The chick had pipped the egg, and zipped about a third of the way around the shell, but then took to long of a break, and completely dried out. 24 hours later it was shrink-wrapped in there so tight there is no way that baby could have made it out. I figure it was my fault because I must have not had the humidity right, so it was my responsibility to help out in this case. Mama hen wouldn't have helped out, but she would have gotten the humidity right so she wouldn't have needed to. (And then because I had opened the incubator and let out the rest of the humidity to help that one, I had to give the last one a bit of a hand as well.)

I'm going to try to get the humidity right next time and avoid all this because I do think it is best not to intervene, but I need to get the envirnment right in order for it to be unnecessary. Happy to rport all the chicks are doing great!

 

[chickeepoo]

Had to resort to helping in the 11th hour- the other little muscovy ducklings had FINALLY made their way out over a 24 hr period and after days of pecking and peeping… the last egg, which was the last to enter the air cell, was having dry membrane problems after pipping the day before-maybe even a day and 1/2 before. All the other ducklings are dry and active (make that ROWDY), but we were waiting for the last little guy. He was so stuffed in his egg that he could hardly move, and he couldn't rotate to zip, so I see now why he was having so much trouble. But he came through with some assistance… and he had fully absorbed his yolk and is fully developed, so I don't think we were pushing him before his time, but boosting him while he was running OUT of time. Thank you for having this resource online- very nerve-wracking, but necessary if you don't want to lose them without a fight! Now I have to keep the others from bouncing on him while he gets dry and gets some strength.

*these 6 eggs were orphaned 2 weeks ago when a predator ate the Mother duck- after much advice and help from BYC'ers, the little miracles made their entrance this week starting Sunday, I think… I was already working against the Circle of Life and the clock when I found them and put them in the bator, so I had even more motivation to make sure they all lived if possible
As soon as I have a good pic of them I'll edit and add it in

 

[New Hatcher]

Thank you for this thread!! I was always told not to help but when watching my first hatch and seeing the chicks struggling and seeing how dry they were my instincts told me to help! The first chick I help was great he just needed his zip line finished and a wet cloth around him and he popped out before I even shut the lid. My last one was a little worrying I finished his zip line rolled him up and left him for 10 minutes.... Nothing! So I took a little more shell off and left him again.... Nothing he had no fight left in him to push after having nothing but his little hatching horn ( I have no idea what it's called) sticking out for most the day. So I very gently using all the methods first wrote,I got him out only to see how week he really was. After a very long night He is up and around and in the brooder with all the others. He still may not make it, maybe he was weak but if he passes now I know I did the best I could. I have lost a duckling this year because I didn't do what my gut told me to do, and I knew with out a doubt that my horse was going to pass soon. My instincts haven't failed me I just haven't listened. I think it came down down to a mothers instinct for me and this time I went for it.

Thank you again the info here backed me up when I wanted to intervene!!