Need Immediate help...PLEASE!!

[Parkers*momma]

One of our hens was sitting on an egg...long story short, she was killed by the neighbors dog. Bless her heart, she has been sitting on this single lil egg for 21...YES 21 days today. Well,, needless to say, the egg was cold when I came home to find all of this. I was thinking that was the end of that, until I picked up the egg. There is a tiny lil pipe hole...membrane is broken and you can see this lil puffball inside the egg. He is trying his best to get hour. So now the egg is in a dish, with towels to cushion it and a heat light on it.

WHAT CAN I DO?!?!?!?! He isn't peeping but he is moving and thudding around. He wants out, I want him out! He wants to live, I want him to live!! Please I am hoping someone will tell us what to do to help him along.

 

[Momto3]

Oh my gosh I hope he/she survives also. I hope someone with more knowledge will pipe in soon. Good luck an keep us posted.

 

[mrslb333]

I'd leave him for a while longer they can survive a dry hatch and lowered temps but by assisting too soon you could kill it

Have you got a thermometer you can check the temp with?

 

[Sjisty]

Is the dish deep enough to halfway cover it with a damp towel? That might help the humidity some.

 

[srsmith69]

Somehow, you're going to need to keep the humidity high around the egg. think of a nice warm chicken butt sitting on top of you. If the egg is not kept in a 60-70% humidity, the membrane inside the egg around the chick will dry out and effectively shrink wrap the chick. Making it impossible for it to get out. Maybe drape a wet paper towel over the egg and keep it damp?

 

[lungewhipqueen]

This sort of happened to me a couple times too... but in my case, it wasn't because the hen was killed. It was because she left the nest with babies that had already hatched. Apparently my other hens had laid a couple eggs in the same nest with the broody and they just weren't ready til a couple days after the other chicks hatched.

Anywho... I did the same as you, brought the eggs inside and set them under a heat bulb to keep them from getting chilled. Once they get too cold they'll stop trying to get out. I didn't have an incubator at the time, so a lamp was better than nothing. I think the biggest danger for them at this point... is drying out. If the membrane inside the shell gets too dry, they can't get through it and they can't spin around to unzip the egg.

What I did was start picking away at the hole in TINY increments. If the membrane looks damp, don't tear it. There are TINY TINY veins that run through it and you don't want to get it bleeding. If this is the case, leave the chick alone and wait for that membrane to finish drying. Inside the shell, the chick may not be quite ready to hatch. The only thing I'd worry about is whether or not the hole is clear so the chick can breathe. Where it's torn the membrane, it SHOULD be safe to open it up a little.

If the membrane is dry however, you can pick it away as well. Just go tiny bits at a time and try to 'unzip' the egg around the end like the chick would do naturally. I've helped many chicks over the years and only ever lost one.

Good luck with your baby! Oh... and keep in mind, once you help it out of the shell it's likely going to imprint on you. Have fun momma hen!

 

[Parkers*momma]

OK...I'm running in reading and running back out to the kitchen counter where I have the lil mite. I removed part of the egg shell and out pops this lil beak and it's a even peeping once in a while. I don't think he/she is too happy right at the moment.

I've got it under a lamp and warm towel over the membrane making sure that his lil beek and nose isn't covered.

I Think I am more nervous for this baby than I was when I was giving birth to my children! From what I can see, most of the shell on the big end is completely pulled away from the membrane. Should I try zipping? I've read over the sticky-a couple of times-

Ohhh I am soooo nervous and scared for him/Her!!

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

Parkers*momma :

OK...I'm running in reading and running back out to the kitchen counter where I have the lil mite. I removed part of the egg shell and out pops this lil beak and it's a even peeping once in a while. I don't think he/she is too happy right at the moment.

I've got it under a lamp and warm towel over the membrane making sure that his lil beek and nose isn't covered.

I Think I am more nervous for this baby than I was when I was giving birth to my children! From what I can see, most of the shell on the big end is completely pulled away from the membrane. Should I try zipping? I've read over the sticky-a couple of times-

Ohhh I am soooo nervous and scared for him/Her!!

You must in "tiny amounts" like lungewhipqueen said - carefully and slowly - waiting several minutes in between - zip around in a circular fashion- widen the hole for it. If you see blood STOP.

Spray the egg with water mist if you have a squirt bottle. Otherwise keep a very wet paper towel over it but not covering the air hole to suffocate the baby. (But try to moisten the hole if you see what I mean - not pour water into it and drown her).

The membrane may very well be stuck on the chick when she emerges. You will have to pick that off....I am off to try to find a thread for you as I have no experience picking off membrane.​

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=271668
see posts #3 and #6
urgent- watch out for veins it says

Basically your chick isn't in a nice warm humid incubator and if that membrane shrink wraps it by getting too dry it will not be able to escape without your assistance. But if you see a lot of blood like in the above post, please note what those people said.

The philosophy of many BYC'ers is that we usually don't want to help chicks hatch since the ones that hatch might have defects and should have never made it- nature's way. It is very controversial.

But you have no incubator and without a humidity level of 60% or higher, the chick really might get shrink wrapped. I personally would assist in a case like this.

 

[key west chick]

I just went through the same thing almost. I hatched it in my bra.