Intervention: Helping Your Chicks Hatch

[chikinluvr12]

My baby chic's been piping since 830 am, and I get impatient too, but my husband will tell me leave it alone, because it can take up to twenty four hours to fully come out, guess what , its true... give it 24 hours, but you need to be sure there is plenty of humidity in the Bator. I bought a brand new sponge at Wal-Mart, and cut them in quarters and lay them in the incubator, that way you can pour water right on the sponges and don't have to worry about the water leaking from underneath. I also have a humidity reader placed in there. So, I no the humidity and the temperature. The temperature needs to be set at 99.5, and the egg turner needs to be turning for 17 days. At the end of the 17th day, be sure to take the turner out of the bator, because the eggs need to set before the hatch. Reason I am letting everyone know this info, is I've read a lot of sad stories about people not having successful incubation. I've had no problems. I am a new member, so don't be shy, and ask any questions.

 

[cindyt]

So glad I read this. I have been hatching off and on for years. But no pro by any means. There are always 2 schools of thought in everything, and there is always the "leave them" crowd, and the "help them" crowd. I sit right on the fence and let my gut do the talking. I have helped and they have died, I have left them and they have died. But I know that done right, they have a better chance.
In the process of helping a couple now, and came to look and see if there was any advice. And what do you know...I had the warm wet washcloth and tweezers already working...Yayy me!! The rest of the advice will be much appreciated by my babies now and in the future.
Thanks BYC!!

 

[HaplessRunner]

Once again, on my third hatch ever, I had to intervene. 1/11 hatched normally and is doing fine. Another one needed some help since it was lodged in the shell and had no real leverage in its position. It is now doing well. Sadly, Another pipped the shell and had done some zipping but was unable to get out. Unfortunately, by the time I was able to intervene, it had died.

While I am a novice at hatching, I have tried to follow the instructions on "dry hatching" and other advice on this site. If not for intervention, my hatching results would be less than marginal. I am somewhat mystified as to how so many do so well. My first three hatches resulted in some chicks but the hatch rate was a dismal 25%.

 

[199787]

I spent a lot of time reading this thread last night before I decided to make the decision to save a chick that hadn't pipped. It was because of this thread that I gave it a shot.

I had 9 out of 10 hatch and the 10th one didn't pip at all but was peeping like crazy. It was like, HELP ME! At least that's what I heard. So I pipped for it and opened a small window. I could see the little bugger tightly shrink wrapped inside. Part of me said, "let it go. This is going to be a pain in the butt." Well, that part of me, the part that sees reason, lost, and my heart said to help it. I wrapped it up in a wet paper towel and put it back in the bator. In the morning it was still alive and not as shrink wrapped so I opened more shell and moistened up the membranes. It started peeping a lot less and wearing itself out struggling, but its leg was over it's head so I delivered it this afternoon. It just layed in the bator on a paper towel for 5 hours or so. The yolk was absorbed, but the navel was just a little open yet. "Shrinky Dink" is perfectly formed and I might add suddenly began acting like a normal chick. Everything is perfect on the little chicky, just couldn't get out of the shell.

No idea how this one baby got shrink wrapped so bad, the rest were just fine and humidity 70-80% was consistently fogging the windows of the incubator.

Anyway, I know Shrinky Dink isn't out of the woods yet, but she is doing really well and will probably make it into the brooder with her brothers and sisters tonight!!

 

[FireflyNights]

It's hatch night apparently 8 baby's in 4 hrs so far only had to help 1. 36 more to go. Ugh I have to work tommorow. It's gonna be a late one.

 

[BajaBink]

After manual pipping how can you tell if the chick is alive or dead? I am new to the process - do they breath right away with beak opening and closing? Will they move, chirp, etc? Or can they appear dead but really be absorbing yolk still/resting? Also can they be weak from being stuck or swollen from the high humidity of the others hatching? Is there such a thing as too high humidity that overloads their hearts similar to congestive heart failure?

 

[Frizzll Farm]

Thanks to this post we knew what we had to look for and what we had to do to help our second chick hatch. First time hatcher and the first chick came out in under 2 hours, and the second one sat there all day with just a pip whole. no zipping, so we zipped for him, he is now sitting up with chick 3 that hatched out on its own! Thank you so much for this forum!

 

[foxychicks]

I wish I had read this thread before last night. I have 10 eggs in the bator. When I got home from work yesterday 2 had pipped. I also have a dozen under a broody. When I checked on her yesterday she had kicked 2 eggs out and one shell was broken all around the air pocket. I figured they were dead, but when I picked them up the chick in the broken one moved. I took them straight to the bator. Since then the other one has been wiggling. I know hens usually know best, but it's her first time. There was no progress last night so I went ahead and zipped the 2 bator eggs this morning before I left for work. All still had good movement. If there hasn't been any progress when I get home today I will assist if all are still alive...

I hope I made the right choice. It's my first hatch and I would hate to loose them because I helped when I shouldn't have. Any advice appreciated!!

 

[Frizzll Farm]

I wish I had read this thread before last night. I have 10 eggs in the bator. When I got home from work yesterday 2 had pipped. I also have a dozen under a broody. When I checked on her yesterday she had kicked 2 eggs out and one shell was broken all around the air pocket. I figured they were dead, but when I picked them up the chick in the broken one moved. I took them straight to the bator. Since then the other one has been wiggling. I know hens usually know best, but it's her first time. There was no progress last night so I went ahead and zipped the 2 bator eggs this morning before I left for work. All still had good movement. If there hasn't been any progress when I get home today I will assist if all are still alive...

I hope I made the right choice. It's my first hatch and I would hate to loose them because I helped when I shouldn't have. Any advice appreciated!!

Its my understanding that chickens don't "know what is best" Our hen kicked eggs out all the time, I just pop it back under her, each time it is a different egg that she kicks out and I got 6/7 hatched, and they are perfectly fine and healthy. Ducks know if there is a bad egg, but chickens don't.

 

[Farming Frenzy]

my chicks are hatching as i write 2 already hatched but another on the way... i can see its beak through the ahell, and its making noise but should i help it? i mean.... its been a long time, i think about 6 hours.. does it take long? thx