Need help with my first hatch: dried up stuff on the opposite end of the egg

[Fluffbuttnewbie]

Hi y'all! My boys and I have decided to hatch some baby chicks while in quarantine. I've read all I could and we have 6 eggs in our incubator, today is day 22. One baby has hatched like a clockwork on day 21, 4 eggs are showing no signs of pipping or really any signs of life (not really sure how to tell at this point). And one baby pipped yesterday evening and thought he'll be out by this morning but he is still in there. I can see the pip hole and he seems to be still alive but he is not making any progress. As of this morning, he also has some weird crack/oozing on the other side, so I don't know how that happened over the night (maybe the new baby knocked the egg and cracked it or the chick was trying to peck at both sides?). What do I do if anything? Do I need to take my only chick out and be happy with the only child? Leave him in there and just hope for the best for the rest? Any help?

 

[JaeG]

Are you sure what you are seeing on the egg there isn't the residual gunk that usually gets left behind in the egg? Your hatched baby may still have had that stuck to him when he popped out (it happens) and he's deposited it on the other egg.

It can take 24 hours from external pip until the chick is ready to hatch so it's not time to panic yet. It's a really important stage where the chick absorbs the remains of the yolk and the blood that's been running through the veins in the membrane.

It's best to wait until there are no eggs pipping before taking out chicks. They can last for 2-3 days without food or water while they digest the rest of the yolk they've absorbed. At least there isn't too much space in your incubator for the hatched chick to play ball with the rest of the eggs.

 

[Fluffbuttnewbie]

Thank YOU! I have no idea what that stuff is, that's why I was asking. It looks like cracks in the shell and it soaked in something, but I have no idea if it's from inside or outside. I didn't even think that it could just be the goo from the first baby-that one is very active and rolling the eggs all over the place. That makes me feel much better. Thank you! But the quick question about 2-3 days thing. So, my first baby hatched yesterday around 4 pm, so he needs to come out no later than Tuesday afternoon, correct? Even if all eggs are not finished--nothing, pipping, just hatched?

 

[JaeG]

Thank YOU! I have no idea what that stuff is, that's why I was asking. It looks like cracks in the shell and it soaked in something, but I have no idea if it's from inside or outside. I didn't even think that it could just be the goo from the first baby-that one is very active and rolling the eggs all over the place. That makes me feel much better. Thank you! But the quick question about 2-3 days thing. So, my first baby hatched yesterday around 4 pm, so he needs to come out no later than Tuesday afternoon, correct? Even if all eggs are not finished--nothing, pipping, just hatched?

I live where it's pretty humid (50%+) so I'd have no problem opening the incubator to whip a baby out, and if it's getting to the point that you feel the chick/s needed to come out, then I'd whip it/them out. If you have a spray bottle (that's only had water in it) you could do a quick spray inside the incubator to help the humidity come back up quickly. Or even pop in a wet paper towel/cloth. It just helps to bump up the humidity quickly.