Intervention: Helping Your Chicks Hatch

[brualy]

I have 2 keets trying to hatch right now. One has broken the shell but not the membrane and is chirping so I know it is alive. The problem is it has been this way since yesterday afternoon. The second egg has broken thru both the shell and membrane but has stalled out. Currently I have both in the incubator wrapped in a towel, humidity is around 70%. How do I help them safely hatch?

 

[mcnichol]

Please help. I don't have an incubator. I have this baby under a heat lamp and I have been trying to keep as much moister as possible. This is baby #3. The first two hatched on their own yesterday late afternoon. This one has been pipped since yesterday. What should I do? Also, mamma was killing the babies so I had to bring them inside to hatch.

 

[RubyNala97]

Please help. I don't have an incubator. I have this baby under a heat lamp and I have been trying to keep as much moister as possible. This is baby #3. The first two hatched on their own yesterday late afternoon. This one has been pipped since yesterday. What should I do?

Was it under a hen?? Did you peel that shell off or was it like that when you found it? Is the baby peeping normally and communicating with you? First, wrap it in a damp paper towel to keep that exposed membrane moist. Do you see veins in the membrane??

 

[Yorkshire Coop]

Did the chick zip round the shell on its own or have you removed some to help it zip? On the membrane is all the blood absorbed? With the red from the lamp I can't make out what blood maybe left.

 

[mcnichol]

Thank yoy for your help. I took it out from under the hen yesterday with the other two since she was cracking the shell as soon as they pipped and casting them away. I found the first two under her care dead. Since it has been over 24 hours, I tried to help, doing exactly what the directions on the post said. I stopped when I thought I saw some blood. I cannot tell if things have dried up or if she is suffering from "shrink wrap". Normally I wouuld have left thing alone, but it had been so long. She still chirps, just not as much. She is still moving, but I worry it has been too long. I have a new picture away from the red light. Thank you. I will post the pic in a new reply since I am having trouble with it right now.

 

[mcnichol]

 

[RooRidgeFarm]

Hi mcnichol,
I am the original poster of this thread. OK, what I see is you are good to go. Finish removing the shell from the top end of the egg (the roundest, fattest end). Then, gently dampen the exposed membrane and look for veins. If there are no dark red veins, you can carefully roll the dampened membrane away from and off the chick. Imagine rolling a sock or hosiery down. Stop rolling the membrane around the belly level, and see if the chick can wiggle itself out. The one thing you are looking for when the membrane is rolled down toward the belly is to make sure you don't pull on the 'umbilical' that may still be attached to the membrane. Work slow, and it looks like your chick is ready to get out of that shell.

 

[RubyNala97]

How many hours has it been, exactly since you saw the pip? Dampen the membrane with some water and look for veins. I think I see one to the left. Is she trying to wiggle out of the egg or no? Its so hard to tell through a picture and not seeing it in person. I would think if she was ready she would be trying to zip out. But, She's been through a lot though. Do you know what the temp has been under the light? If you don't see any veins you can tear a little of the membrane, it might be hardened up around the pip hole.

 

[RooRidgeFarm]

Thank yoy for your help. I took it out from under the hen yesterday with the other two since she was cracking the shell as soon as they pipped and casting them away. I found the first two under her care dead. Since it has been over 24 hours, I tried to help, doing exactly what the directions on the post said. I stopped when I thought I saw some blood. I cannot tell if things have dried up or if she is suffering from "shrink wrap". Normally I wouuld have left thing alone, but it had been so long. She still chirps, just not as much. She is still moving, but I worry it has been too long. I have a new picture away from the red light. Thank you. I will post the pic in a new reply since I am having trouble with it right now.

Wanted to add...since so much of the shell has already been removed, this chick will not be able to finish zipping itself out. So you will most likely be assisting it entirely. Be careful when removing shell-pinch it, don't pull it off. That will allow the membrane to remain around the chick without pulling on any blood vessels that may be intact. If you feel more comfortable just removing the shell, take a warm, thin, damp washcloth and wrap the chicks membrane after shell removal. Keep the breathing nostrils uncovered. You can alternately work on rolling the membrane, and letting it rest in the damp washcloth. Keep in mind, that what occurs naturally when a chick pips and zips is this: the pipping allows air, and then with the zipping, the chick is naturally "cauterizing" the veins as it zips its way around the shell and membrane. Once the shell is removed and/or the chick cannot maneuver, the zipping/cauterizing the blood vessels cannot occur. So most likely your best bet is working on the membrane, putting flour on any bleeders, waiting, and repeating the process.

I hope this helps

 

[rosiet]

Thank you to all in this thread! We just finished incubating 48 eggs.
We ended up with 28 chicks in total.
3 assisted. The rest were fine on their own. Couldn't have done it with out this thread! You are all amazing for sharing your experiences. I followed the advice given to ithers and as i said we saved 3 that wouldn't have made it. We lost one to tye chicks playing football. Had piped. Then sometime through the night been rolled over at least 10 eggs had not progressed during incubation. I don't think they were fertile to start with. The rest I'm not sure. No egg-topsies performed. I can't do it. Don't want to risk opening a rotten egg!

Thanks again everyone. Even though i was silently reading all advice helped