Malpositioned Chick?

[Goats N Cluckers]

Hello. I'm at day 21 of my first hatch of 29 chicken eggs. I got up this morning to the egg in question and one other small pip. The egg in the photo seems to be malpositioned - feet over head? She was chewing at first, presumably absorbing the yolk, but has since stopped and is resting. I was reading the assisted hatching article when I saw the example of feet over head and I thought I'd better ask you with experience. There is another pipped egg in there, so I haven't opened the bator.

I do have another question. I have mixed eggs of 12 Buff and Chocolate Orpingtons and 17 Silver and Gold Polish in there. They were all set the same day, and all of these eggs candled great at day 18 when I locked down. (Temp and humidity has been closely monitored throughout with no major or sudden fluctuations.) I was under the impression that smaller breeds/eggs hatch earlier than larger ones. If this is so, and the Orpingtons are starting to hatch, does that mean I've lost my Polish babies?

Edited to add: There is no odor coming from the bator as yet. It just smells warm.

 

[Ponywonka]

My best suggestion is to wait- I’ve seen this too and they did great! I’ve had chicks hatch out all the way on day 24 and be healthy and sassy! It’s an exciting and stressful time isn’t it? Sending lots of positivity to you and those Babies

 

[Goats N Cluckers]

My best suggestion is to wait- I’ve seen this too and they did great! I’ve had chicks hatch out all the way on day 24 and be healthy and sassy! It’s an exciting and stressful time isn’t it? Sending lots of positivity to you and those Babies

Thank you, Ponywonka. I really appreciate it. I have no trouble (well, maybe a little) waiting it out as long as I know baby isn't in distress. First it was the goats kidding and now the eggs. If I have ANY sanity left by summer, I'll be amazed.

 

[Goats N Cluckers]

Update:

As the day wore on, this little one was only making a bigger hole and not zipping. She wasn't able to move much, but wore herself out trying. I didn't want to, but I took her out of the incubator (didn't lose even a single percentage point of RH), gloved up and sterilized a pair of tweezers beforehand. I had swabs and coconut oil on standby.

I carefully pinched away a few tiny bits of shell and separated the outer and inner membrane, checking for blood vessels. There were none. The chick started furiously fighting in the shell, so I chipped away a little more where the zip line should have been. Little Peep kept fighting and grabbed my finger with her little foot. As soon as we had the top zipped, I put her back in the incubator. She popped the shell open as I was putting her back, so she went in half in and half out of the lower portion. She rested for a while, then scooted out of the shell completely and has been sleeping and stretching ever since, about two hours now. She cheeps every once in a while and sounds nice and strong.

Thank you, BYC for all the helpful information.

One down, 28 more to go - hopefully they'll be in a better position!

 

[casportpony]

Good job! It's been my experience that when they get their feet over their heads like that that they will need to be helped.

 

[Prince and Pavo]

Nice job! Knowing when to step in is very hard to do, but clearly you were able to at just the right time! Way to go!

 

[Goats N Cluckers]

Good job! It's been my experience that when they get their feet over their heads like that that they will need to be helped.

Thank you! I could tell she was getting nowhere and was afraid I might lose her if I didn't assist. I'd much prefer to sit back and enjoy the show.

 

[Goats N Cluckers]

Nice job! Knowing when to step in is very hard to do, but clearly you were able to at just the right time! Way to go!

Thank you! It's hard to know when to trust your gut when it's something new. I admire those that have hatched out bunches of babies.

 

[Ponywonka]

Update:

As the day wore on, this little one was only making a bigger hole and not zipping. She wasn't able to move much, but wore herself out trying. I didn't want to, but I took her out of the incubator (didn't lose even a single percentage point of RH), gloved up and sterilized a pair of tweezers beforehand. I had swabs and coconut oil on standby.

I carefully pinched away a few tiny bits of shell and separated the outer and inner membrane, checking for blood vessels. There were none. The chick started furiously fighting in the shell, so I chipped away a little more where the zip line should have been. Little Peep kept fighting and grabbed my finger with her little foot. As soon as we had the top zipped, I put her back in the incubator. She popped the shell open as I was putting her back, so she went in half in and half out of the lower portion. She rested for a while, then scooted out of the shell completely and has been sleeping and stretching ever since, about two hours now. She cheeps every once in a while and sounds nice and strong.

Thank you, BYC for all the helpful information.

One down, 28 more to go - hopefully they'll be in a better position!

AMAZING!!! Way to not o and trust your instinct!!! Well done

 

[Ponywonka]

Was supposed to say “way to go!”