opened egg day 23 help!with

[forfarhill]

Hi all,
So this is my first post, I'll introduce myself later, but right now I need some advice urgently!
Okay so I had a batch of silver spangled Hamburg eggs in my incubator (Rcom 20), 20 eggs set, 6 clear and 1 quit halfway thru. 13 eggs went into lockdown, 8 hatched overnight day 21, all the rest bar 3 hatched the morning of day 22. The first egg pipped still hadn't hatched at this point so I assisted per Sally Sunshine, I freed the top of the egg and peeled the membrane back went to bed (wait!!) and the chick was free this morning. This chick has some crooked toes and splayed legs which I'll fix up later with tape (I'll try anyway it's my first time!). Which brings me to my dilemma.
There are two eggs left. One is dead in the shell I'm pretty sure, no movement. The other is alive and moving. Having had to assist the other I thought maybe this one needed a hand too.
So I candled (the air cell was slightly saddled and very low, I'm pretty sure the chick is not positioned correctly) and carefully made a hole where I thought the internal pip was. No pip. So I removed a bit more shell (all above the membrane in the aircell) until I could find the beak.....which had not internally pipped. I carefully dampened the membrane with some boiled cooled water and a q-tip and placed back in the incubator.
I checked again about 2 hours after and there is no progress, there is a lot of liquid in the membrane and when I moistened again with the q-tip it came back yellow, I'm worried something is ruptured. I can't see the beak anymore but the chicken is alive and moving. What should I do from here?
I'm looking forward to any and all advice.
Vanessa
PS it doesn't help my boyfriend kindly told me I'd murdered the chicken by interfering

 

[forfarhill]

Okay guys quick update, I just moistened the membrane again and I can see the beak clearly and the chick is still moving. Still no pip but the beak is opening and closing and there appears to be a bubble in the membrane near it. Any advice? Leave alone and keep moist? Make an internal pip?
Help?!
I can take some pictures is that helps?

 

[Emmaxx]

Hi, I'm sure if you have read the Sally Sunshine guide there is not much I can say as I don't have much experience but from what I have read here then water is not really the best thing to moisten membranes with as it can cause it to dry more, coconut oil or vaseline would be better and keep them supple for longer.
When you moisten the membranes can you see veins?
I have read that the yawning/chewing of the beak means the chick is still absorbing the yolk, so I personally would leave it alone for a bit and just moisten the membranes, but I have not read about a bubble before so I could be totally wrong!
Good luck

 

[Emmaxx]

Your post may be better off in the hatching and incubating thread, if you report it you can ask for it to be moved if you want to

 

[forfarhill]

Thanks Emmaxx. Unfortunately the chick died this afternoon, still in the shell. I ended up applying a moist wound gel to keep the membrane moist but obviously something just wasn't right-I did an eggtopsy and just looking at the pictures on the net this chick was at least a couple days away from hatching. I'm beginning to suspect a cold spot in the incubator as a cluster of 'clear' eggs were in the same area. The other assist is doing okay and her/his legs are already straightened . I have my fingers crossed it'll continue to thrive. One of the perfectly healthy chicks got squashed into the container corner this morning by its siblings and died also.....baby chicks are stressful I think I was spoilt by my first hatch with 10 out of 12 eggs hatching with no issues at all....of course they were just some cheapy crossbred eggs so

Thanks so much!

Vanessa

 

[Emmaxx]

Oh I'm very sorry to hear about that

 

[forfarhill]

Thanks, it is a downer but you live and learn! I just hope no more of the others finds creative ways to die!

Vanessa