Longest time from pip to (successful) hatch?

[NaomiSarah]

I've got a chick that has had it's beak out of the membrane for 30 hours now, and it's still actively working on getting out but hasn't made any visible progress after the membrane pip. I put a small hole in the air cell to make sure it's got air after so long, and it occasionally cheeps but not often. I'm not going to interfere, but I was just wondering, how long is the longest you more experienced folk have seen a chick spend with it's beak out of the membrane, and still successfully hatch itself out? I'm starting to get nervous, especially after my last brutally failed hatch!

 

[Kittymomma]

I had a duckling take 36 hours from pip to hatch. Make sure that the humidity stays up, the biggest danger now is that the membrane will dry out and shrink wrap the chick preventing it from being able to hatch on its own. I don't typically help any of mine out, but after 36 hours I would be concerned about shrink wrapping and if the visiable membrane looked dried out I would probably be thinking about some carefull help.

 

[FenDruadin]

Well, I hatch ducks, so it's different. Mine will sometimes go 48 hours. But after that--I help them.

For chickens, I would say 30 hours is a looooong time. Personally, I'd start helping--but only a tiny bit at a time, in case it's still too early and the chick hasn't absorbed the yolk or shut down the blood vessels in the membrane. Are there other eggs in the incubator? If so, you've got to be careful about humidity. I wouldn't take the struggling egg out until the next time you are opening the incubator for some other reason, and make sure the humidity is nice and high before you do so.

The bird will be fine stuck in the shell for a couple days after it normally would have hatched, so you won't hurt anything by waiting until the next time you open the bator.

Then I would do just a tiny bit and try to see if the veins in the inner membrane are still full of blood. If they are, you'll find out quick enough when they start bleeding. This is usually not too dangerous if you're cautious, but if you see fresh blood, it's time to put the baby back in the bator and wait a few hours. You will naturally see some dark brown liquid that looks like old blood, and that's fine--it's bright, fresh blood you don't want to see.

Good luck!

 

[NaomiSarah]

I picked away a little more shell and touched the membrane with a q-tip, and the veins are very faint but still red. I'm just going to leave it for now... Whenever I interfere and a chick doesn't make it I always assume it's because of what I did so I'm just gonna leave this chick alone!

 

[NaomiSarah]

I had to dump it out but it's healthy!!!!!! :-D

 

[FenDruadin]

Congrats!!

 

[Delta3013]

Good job.

 

[NaomiSarah]

Thanks, guys! "Pip" is all over the brooder, extremely ticked off to be alone.

Out of the nine in his batch, three made it to lockdown, two pipped and the other pipper was not done yet and also pipped the wrong end, and it died in the bator.

So, for a terrible hatch, at least there's one... "Pip pip" hooray!