Looking for advice to give this chick a chance :)

[Katesmc]

Hi! New here. Have a broody who hatched out her eggs 2 days ago they are all doing great she left the nest with them and with it the last unhatched egg. I found it stone cold after she hadnt returned to it so removed it. I had marked her eggs to avoid a staggered hatch so opened it at the airsack end to see how far along it had got more to reassure myself i hadnt messed up the egg marking! I chipped the airsac area away and the membrane was white and completely dried out, no movement and completely cold. As I made a small tear in the membrane it moved! There was a very small amount of blood. I don't have any setup for incubating / hatching away from broody so took it inside moistened the membrane which still had veining and popped it in a box wrapped in a towel on a heat pad and into my boiler cupboard with not too much hope. That was 12 hours ago and it seems to have gone strength to strength, from very infrequent movements and no sign of breathing to now alot of movement, I can see it breathing and it's chirping through the small hole in the membrane too (it's beak is poking out of the hole).
I put a little mineral oil on the membrane to keep it moist (after researching here) but have no idea if the temperature is ok (I don't have a thermometer) and no idea about humidity or any way of measuring it but figure I am giving it the best chance I can.
My question is... from what I have read on here I may now need to help it to hatch when the time comes? If that's the case how do I go about it and how do I know it's time?
Thanks in advance really hoping someone with alot more experience is able to help me give this little chick a chance

 

[chuckmill83]

Kind of you to want to help, but nature is specific. If it didn't hatch it was likely due to a vigor issue. Sadly I do not see a way for this baby to survive. If it does, it likely will have issues and a very short life.

 

[chuckmill83]

side note: a broody is the best shot any egg has. Nature at its best. Just let the hen do the work, if you do not want to acquire another route of hatching. With a broody you need to do nothing but let her set. Give the eggs a few days beyond the date in the nest, you never know.

 

[Katesmc]

Thanks for the reply it could well be it's just not right but thought also possible I've made a mistake and ended up with one slightly behind. Definetly agree re the broody but unfortunately she is on the move with her chicks now. This one had been left so long and was so cold I was sure it would be gone either way so kind of felt like she deserved a fighting chance.
I've read on here that sometimes with part of the shell removed / membrane exposed it can mean they need help getting out when it's time so wanted to understand that a little I'm case she makes it that far

 

[JAMarlow]

Everyone has to make their own decision of when, or if, to help. Personally, I help if it's obvious they are struggling and perhaps dying. Yes, they may have a "failure to thrive" issue and die anyway. Or I might have to put one down that is deformed or suffering. But for me? Hey, they had a chance at life. On the other side of the coin, I've had those that I've helped thrive. I have 2 right now that are gorgeous 8-week-olds that look just like their hatch-mates. You just never know which way it might go.

 

[LtDanFan]

Thanks for the reply it could well be it's just not right but thought also possible I've made a mistake and ended up with one slightly behind. Definetly agree re the broody but unfortunately she is on the move with her chicks now. This one had been left so long and was so cold I was sure it would be gone either way so kind of felt like she deserved a fighting chance.
I've read on here that sometimes with part of the shell removed / membrane exposed it can mean they need help getting out when it's time so wanted to understand that a little I'm case she makes it that far

I think you are doing the right thing by helping it. Sorry i didnt see this sooner. Not sure if i have the experience you are looking for but i had an egg from my second attempt at hatching eggs that pipped and did not zip or hatch. It was making noise, so i left it because what i read said “give it more time” and when i returned to the incubator after going to bed, i woke up and checked on it but it was not moving or chirping. I still didn't intervene at that time (owing to advice i could read at the time) and when i opened it hours later, i found a fully formed chick with no obvious reason it shouldn’t have lived.
I wish i would have done something sooner. I have since had assisted hatch chicks that grow up strong and fine. Nature finds a way but sometimes it needs help. Nature is not infallible and modern chickens are far from “natural”. Face it, as a species that has been purpose bred and kept domestically for thousands (or more accurately millions) of generations, they may need us more than those that think otherwise are aware. I have seen animals survive with little more than basic intervention and i have seen them die despite all the trappings of modern medicine.
If still applicable, I’d say peel away the shell slowly, being mindful of bleeding. And know its a risk either way. Just take that risk that allows you to sleep at night if it doesn’t turn out the way you want it to. Otherwise chalk it up to a learning event and use it as such if there is a next time.
Unfortunately biology does find a way… to survive or not….it seems despite our best efforts to the contrary.

 

[SnackMeat]

Not sure what day that egg is at. Delayed hatching can happen when the egg spends more time on the outside of the clutch where it is cooler, than the inside. Or it possibly rolled out a couple of times and slowed down. I've also ran into this when the egg was larger than the other eggs (who hatched early! So not only was this egg separate from those hatching early but it was still too early on day 21 when I helped it. If I had left well enough alone I think it would have hatched by day 24 at the latest. It was from a giant sapphire gem egg that can sometimes be laid.

The good news is the beak is positioned correctly. You can take a qtip and swab some save a chick or similar electrolyte solution and allow it to drink.

I would play some chick chirping noise to get a baseline for the wiggles. The chirping is a pep talk. Routinely play the chirping to see if the wiggles are becoming less.


Also be prepared that this chick might have leg/foot issues. It very well may not, but when I've had an egg like this, I see a higher occurrence than those hatching out more by themselves.

If you have a thermometer that would help, especially a laser gun one. The inner membrane is always colder when the shell has been removed so what worked before when the egg was intact, seems to be too cold when they're opened like this.

I would also switch the heating pad around. Sometimes laid over the top of the towels, sometimes wrapped around the side, sometimes underneath.

The egg need to stay roughly oriented the way it is now but at least moving the heating pad mitigates one side getting too hot. At this point you just have to ride it out, but when you check on the chick, may as well rotate the heating pad.

My guess is you should know one way or the other if the chick is viable in less than 48 hours so just hold tight. It will either die, or pop out by itself. I've had chicks be fine with a couple extra days out of the egg to gather their strength. And I've had eggs suddenly die right around hatching. Just a crapshoot at this point.