Um.....had some broody issues and had to bring a couple of clutches in and put them in the incubator. Problem is that the eggs are all different ages and I have candled and culled the not developing ones. They have started hatching. Two right away. One the next day. One the next. There were five in the brooder. Last night another one pipped and came out very early this morning.....finally.....was up all night with the egg and finally a chick. Very shrink wrapped. Could tell I needed to help when I saw around her head the dried like concrete 'stuff'. Got her out but still has some dried like concrete 'stuff' in spots. Under one wing and on the right side of her head and neck. Not a lot on the head and neck. My question (finally) is what can I put on the dried eggshell/inside the egg 'stuff'??? Oil? Olive oil? What would soften it? She is strong now and ready to go in with the five but I have put her in a couple of times and they peck, naturally, at the 'stuff'. Second question (you knew there would be one) is how can I prevent this happening again. I have another egg that has pipped and is starting to zip but I increased the humidity some to keep the membranes from drying out (which is what I think happened in one of my lapses into sleep last night with the other egg). How do you handle it when eggs are different ages? I know. Should not have done it this way.....but it is what it is. Am thinking about calling my neighbor and borrowing their incubator and setting it up to transfer a pipped egg into.....have the temps right as well as humidity for the hatching ones. Help.....
Use a wet papertowel or wet cotton ball on the stuff that is dried. The best thing to soften it with is just water. When an egg pips but doesn't hatch right away (if I'm awake) I use a wet cotton ball (with warm water) and dab it on the membrane in order to keep it from drying to the chick. I also keep the humidity at 80 when that happens. Also keep in mind just because it pipped doesn't mean it will hatch. I've had some pip then die. No reason. they weren't stuck or anything, I always view it as nature saying that one wasn't strong enough and taking it before it suffers.
Well.....this little sweetie seems to be quite strong. Had her in the brooder inside of a plastic container with a towel in it.....she was not happy there so I put her in with the 5 others....she is smaller (two and three days younger) but she is a feisty little thing! Lots of the 'stuff' is flaking off as she is moving around. I should have gone in sooner to help her out. Just hatched another and right before she got out of the last of her shell the egg right next to her pipped. Still have two Doms setting in nests....one on three, one on six. Going to try and move them both to a new coop (actually their old coop) at night and see if it works out. They have been setting side by side for a long time now. The babies will all go into a new coop and run outside once they can handle the temps. So far I have never had any that pipped and died. I hatched two different incubators full last spring 100% on the second one and around 92% on the second one. That last one includes one that died after a week. She was tiny, very tiny. My problem this time was I was not planning to use the incubator. I planned on the hens setting them and the eggs hatching with them. Then I had a hen commit suicide and the setting hens panicked and left the nests. There were the two that were hatched and up about 4 ft in a nest box......grabbed them up and all but six eggs and took them in the house to hatch. Those five are doing great. Now the other clutch is starting to hatch. So, five dom babies, two EE babies and one more pipped. Hatching while not knowing WHEN is hard in an incubator that has a turner that is needed for some of the eggs still. I put a washrag in under the pipped egg as soon as I saw the pip. That way if it hatches I won't get it's legs down in the openings...... Will try the cotton ball on the little feisty chick. Thanks!