Late stage hatch issues, please help asap!

[affacat]

This little one pipped over 48 hours ago. At least five others have picked and hatched in the time since she did. Her beak is out and breathing. I just zipped her about 10 minutes ago because she hadn't made any progress. The very last piece I did left that little dot of blood at the top so I stopped doing anything and put her back in the incubator. Now I'm worried she's going to shrink wrap I'm wondering if I need to finish the job right now or what I should do. Please help

 

[FoodFreedomNow]

Blood means the chick is not yet ready to hatch. Keep the humidity up in the incubator, and shrink wrapping shouldn't be an issue.

In the meantime, I recommend reading Pyxis's very helpful Guide to Assisted Hatching so you'll be ready if assistance is needed.

Best of luck!

 

[affacat]

Blood means the chick is not yet ready to hatch. Keep the humidity up in the incubator, and shrink wrapping shouldn't be an issue.

In the meantime, I recommend reading Pyxis's very helpful Guide to Assisted Hatching so you'll be ready if assistance is needed.

Best of luck!

Ok. I took it back out and greases up all exposed membrane with coconut oil and put the egg back in the incubator. The chick is definitely breathing, hopefully all will be okay. Lost another one (already dead when I checked on it), I'd prefer this one survives!

 

[FoodFreedomNow]

I understand your anxiety about intervening in time, if needed, but when you see blood, that's a clear sign that intervention is premature. You definitely don't want to assist a chick out too early and find a huge unabsorbed yolk or cause profuse bleeding.

Patience can be difficult, but it's often necessary with assisted hatches. Best wishes for this little one to finish its pre-hatching processes and emerge on its own.

 

[SueT]

I had a slow to hatch chick that wasn’t zipping, and I finally helped it out by carefully opening the shell. Turned out it had a bad leg. It couldn’t walk properly, splinting didn’t help. As it grew, the leg was being dragged around, and I ended up culling the chick around 2 - 3 weeks. I’m not so sure I’d assist again.

 

[affacat]

I understand your anxiety about intervening in time, if needed, but when you see blood, that's a clear sign that intervention is premature. You definitely don't want to assist a chick out too early and find a huge unabsorbed yolk or cause profuse bleeding.

Patience can be difficult, but it's often necessary with assisted hatches. Best wishes for this little one to finish its pre-hatching processes and emerge on its own.

Yeah, I waited probably 60 hours before I helped. But at that point, based on reading, it needed it. I guess it didn't though. The bleeding was as minimal as it could be, a tiny little drop so I'm hoping that's okay.

Now it's wait time

 

[Ridgerunner]

There is often a reason a chick has trouble hatching. There is something wrong with it to start with. Some people don't assist for that reason, they do not want weak chickens in their flock. Probably half the chicks I help don't make it. They were not meant too.

It is hard to know when to help. Too early and you can kill it. Too late and it dies. It may die anyway. You are doing the best you can. Hopefully the chick makes it but if it doesn't do not feel guilty. You are doing the best you can.

 

[affacat]

There is often a reason a chick has trouble hatching. There is something wrong with it to start with. Some people don't assist for that reason, they do not want weak chickens in their flock. Probably half the chicks I help don't make it. They were not meant too.

It is hard to know when to help. Too early and you can kill it. Too late and it dies. It may die anyway. You are doing the best you can. Hopefully the chick makes it but if it doesn't do not feel guilty. You are doing the best you can.

UPDATE:

the poor chick was still stuck, but cheaping and heavy breathing this morning. I just finished removing it from it's shell. I think it had grown a bit too large and was stuck, and also some of the membrane was definitely stuck pretty good, in a way that prevented too much movement.

I gave her electrolytes as I removed her. It was a bit hard getting some of the membrane off, I softened it with coconut oil but it was still stuck good over one eye, neck, back.

But I finally got it off, removed a bunch of clumped poop. She then pooped again a minute later which I take as a good sign.

I put her back in the incubator to warm up. She's pretty much passed out on her side and I don't know if she'll make it but I hope she does.

She just moved a bit while I was typing, more rolling than walking