Need advice with Turkey egg

[IvanK]

Hi! So I’m just starting to hatch out my first group of turkey eggs. This is my first time hatching turkeys and I understand they can be more challenging. So far I have one hatched and many more pipped.
The egg I have provided a photo of pipped about 19 hours ago but the chick has made little progress.
I can see what looks like it’s beak trying to break through the membrane...kind of like trying to push your finger through a latex glove. I can’t see a hole in the membrane and it is starting to turn patchy and move inwards from the shell.
I hate intervening but should I carefully poke a hole in the membrane to let air in? Or would it be better to wait as opening the bator might jeopardize the other hatches?
If anyone is out there with experience hatching out turkeys, I’d greatly appreciate your input.
Thank you kindly

 

[R2elk]

Hi! So I’m just starting to hatch out my first group of turkey eggs. This is my first time hatching turkeys and I understand they can be more challenging. So far I have one hatched and many more pipped.
The egg I have provided a photo of pipped about 19 hours ago but the chick has made little progress.
I can see what looks like it’s beak trying to break through the membrane...kind of like trying to push your finger through a latex glove. I can’t see a hole in the membrane and it is starting to turn patchy and move inwards from the shell.
I hate intervening but should I carefully poke a hole in the membrane to let air in? Or would it be better to wait as opening the bator might jeopardize the other hatches?
If anyone is out there with experience hatching out turkeys, I’d greatly appreciate your input.
Thank you kindly



View attachment 1385967

My experience with my turkey eggs is that if an egg is pipped without progress for more than 12 hours it will become shrink wrapped and be unable to hatch without assistance. When I help in such a case I moisten the membrane and carefully remove the top of the shell from the egg and allow the poult to kick its way free of the remainder of the shell on its own. Watch out for blood vessels.

I strongly recommend that you follow the Step by Step Guide to ASSISTED Hatching by @Sally Sunshine

 

[IvanK]

My experience with my turkey eggs is that if an egg is pipped without progress for more than 12 hours it will become shrink wrapped and be unable to hatch without assistance. When I help in such a case I moisten the membrane and carefully remove the top of the shell from the egg and allow the poult to kick its way free of the remainder of the shell on its own. Watch out for blood vessels.

I strongly recommend that you follow the Step by Step Guide to ASSISTED Hatching by @Sally Sunshine

That's great! Thanks for sharing your experience. It's been well over 12 hours so I'm going to get to work on it. I can see that shrink wrap effect. This is definitely a little different than hatching out chickens.

 

[IvanK]

@R2elk so upon removal of the top of the shell the entire inner membrane hadn’t been broken and is like a thick rubber bag. The chick is alive and moving/chirping but I don’t think it can break out. To provide a mental image, if you're familiar with the Aliens movies, it looks like when the alien is pushing out of the unlucky host...albeit this little turkey is not having the same success getting out that the alien did. It's stretching the membrane but not breaking it.
I did attempt to puncture the very top of the membrane but stopped once I saw red. I fear that it may be too soon to remove a little of the membrane. I've hatched 100s of chickens and never assisted so this is a little daunting as it is the first time I've experienced this.
Should I hold off or do you think I need to keep going?
I have the humidity at 80% but maybe I should also put a warm wet cloth over the membrane. Your thoughts?

 

[R2elk]

@R2elk so upon removal of the top of the shell the entire inner membrane hadn’t been broken and is like a thick rubber bag. The chick is alive and moving/chirping but I don’t think it can break out. To provide a mental image, if you're familiar with the Aliens movies, it looks like when the alien is pushing out of the unlucky host...albeit this little turkey is not having the same success getting out that the alien did. It's stretching the membrane but not breaking it.
I did attempt to puncture the very top of the membrane but stopped once I saw red. I fear that it may be too soon to remove a little of the membrane. I've hatched 100s of chickens and never assisted so this is a little daunting as it is the first time I've experienced this.
Should I hold off or do you think I need to keep going?
I have the humidity at 80% but maybe I should also put a warm wet cloth over the membrane. Your thoughts?


View attachment 1386352

My guess is that the inner membrane is stuck to the poult preventing it from being able to turn and work its way out. If you carefully peel back the outer membrane you should be able to see the inner membrane. I have gently moistened the dried out inner membrane and removed it allowing the poult to be able to move within the shell.

I recently read that it is not a good idea to put a wet cloth on it because the evaporation tends to cool the egg down. I have however wet a paper towel down and laid the opened egg on it to finish hatching.

I don't raise my humidity to 80% for lockdown. My lockdown humidity is usually between 65% to 70% humidity. But I am hatching at altitude in a very dry climate so what works for me may not work for someone else.

 

[IvanK]

My guess is that the inner membrane is stuck to the poult preventing it from being able to turn and work its way out. If you carefully peel back the outer membrane you should be able to see the inner membrane. I have gently moistened the dried out inner membrane and removed it allowing the poult to be able to move within the shell.

I recently read that it is not a good idea to put a wet cloth on it because the evaporation tends to cool the egg down. I have however wet a paper towel down and laid the opened egg on it to finish hatching.

I don't raise my humidity to 80% for lockdown. My lockdown humidity is usually between 65% to 70% humidity. But I am hatching at altitude in a very dry climate so what works for me may not work for someone else.

Before receiving your last response I'd gone ahead and temporarily place a damp, warm paper towel over the dry membrane. I've removed it since and it's definitely helped. I'm hoping they little guy or gal will be able to break through.
As long as the chick keeps trying, I'm gong to keep moistening because it seems like it's doing the trick. I'm pretty sure the chick was well on it's way to becoming shrink wrapped.
Hopefully this will end well. We'll see. Thanks for your input

 

[IvanK]

Just thought I’d follow up to conclude. This assisted hatch took over 30 hours but the little turkey is now out and doing well. I believe patience was key.
I had to apply several moist towels on the drying membrane over most of the day.
I had previously opened the membrane just enough for the chick to breath. I think that’s how it survived this long. I spent the day on and off peeling the shell/membrane away but only where it was obvious there were no blood vessels and where it was dry and rubbery.
I wanted to make sure the yolk was absorbed before going too far. One of the pics I attached is the last assist I did but the chick still had a lot of trouble...it took about 2 hours struggling to kick out after the photo was taken. In the photo it’s fully stuck.
Anyway, after one last effort, the chick pulled itself free and basically exploded out of its half shell seemingly relieved. The inside of the shell was dry...I think the yolk absorbed a long time ago.
Now all is good. Soon it’ll join its siblings in the brooder
Feels good because I know things don’t usually end so well.