It has been 24 hours since the pip and no progress, please help

[CogburnIsMyRoo]

It has been a little over twenty four hour since the chicks pip and it is cheating but has made no progress and this is the external pip. I don't know if I should help it or not and just don't really know what to do. By the way it is day 24 and the pip was on day 23. Thank you

 

[mirandaleecon]

Here is an article that has a ton of information regarding assisting hatching, I would read this fully before attempting to assist.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/step-by-step-guide-to-assisted-hatching

Once you have read that, and you feel comfortable with it, I would say it would be a good idea at this point to assist the chick.
Do you have any others in there? any that have already hatched? How has the humidity been?

If, after reading that article, you have any questions at all, let me know and I will help you the best I can!

 

[CogburnIsMyRoo]

I have been looking around this morning and have already read that. And I have no other pips I blame it on my cheap Chinese incubator and I couldn't fit a hydrometer in the tiny bator.


It has the hole the size of a finger nail how should i help it zip?

 

[mirandaleecon]

Ok, gather up some supplies; tweezers, paper towels, warm water, bacitracin or Neosporin without pain medicine, q-tips.

All I do is, with a pair of tweezers, start breaking off tiny bits of shell towards the air cell. Be very mindful of the membrane and keep an eye out for blood vessels.
The blood vessels are very delicate and just barely tapping them with the tweezers can sometimes cause them to bleed. If the membrane is white, you won't be able to see the blood vessels.

Work in increments of 5 minutes. If you see any bleeding, apply some pressure with a q-tip until it stops. Before you put it back in the incubator, use a q-tip to wet the membrane with Neosporin or bacitracin. Wait an hour, then remove a bit more of the shell.

Take your time!

I have to go to a meeting, I'll be back in an hour or so...

 

[mirandaleecon]

Oh I just realized, I said that if the membrane is white, you won't be able to see the veins, but I forgot to say that all you have to do is wet the membrane and they will be visible...

 

[CogburnIsMyRoo]

After assisting the chick it finished zipping by pushing out of the shell but seems very dry and weak.

 

[mirandaleecon]

When you say dry, is it fluffy or does it have membrane dried to it? Fluffy is good, if there is membrane, you can use some bacitracin to wet it and after a couple minutes it should be pliable enough to remove. Just try not to pull too much fluff off.
It's normal for them to seem a bit week after a rough hatch. It's been 10 hours since you posted though so by now it should have perked up. If not you can try giving it a drop of sugar water, just put it on the side of it's beak or you can use a soda cap to dip it's beak in it.

Did it absorb all of the yolk sac?

 

[CogburnIsMyRoo]

Yes it had membrane dried to it. I went bed last night and it was doing fine but this morning I found it dead so sad. Thanks for all of your help on this and you're advice was very informative mirandaleecon

Haydon

 

[mirandaleecon]

I'm so sorry! It's always heartbreaking when a chick doesn't make it but we are always learning from these experiences...