Opened egg that should have hatched last week to find live chick??????

[octomanix]

So, obviously killed it

Now I have 8 more eggs that have been in the incubator for 26 days (chicken eggs) I am terrified to open them!! We had a humidity problem in our Bator at got a very poor hatch. I was cleaning it out to start again and to my horror, one of the 4 eggs that I opened had a live chick in it. There are 8 left and I don't know what to do. Just wait it out, but for how long? I thought 26 days would be long enough. Any ideas???

 

[sonew123]

Quote:
holy cow--did you literally just open it up or just "pip" it a little??? I would pip a hole where the air cel is and see if they are alive-youll see them breathing up and down-if they are put them back in and jack the humidity up again to help them-good luck

 

[Elite Silkies]

Can you candle them? If not, I would mist them with warm water and leave them in the bator. They may be vapor locked in the shells.

 

[octomanix]

It had actually been 24 days, not 26. I full out opened the egg, I was sure there were no survivors. I put the remaining 8 back in the bator and upped the humidity. The eggs are dark and don't show much upon candling.

 

[Msbear]

I would open them up. If they're in too long, they will develop issues from growing too much inside the shell; cross beak, curled toes.

Maybe try what previous posted suggested and mist the eggs. Crank up the humidity so much that condensation forms on the glass. If you think you can open them, pip a small hole on the bottom of the egg and check the membrane. If it is stark white and hard, then all the chicks are vacuum-sealed and won't be able to hatch unless you interveine.

eta: what did the membrane look like of the chick you did open up? was it fully formed? absorb the yolk?

 

[octomanix]

OK, that was great advice. I opened them all by pecking a tiny hole in the top of the egg and looking in with the flashlight. 5 of them were not even fertile (DUH, I guess I skipped candling this time altogether). 3 had chicks in them, one was dead, and there are two that appear to be hanging on. They are in the Bator with 96% humidity. I will check on them in the morning. Thank you so much for your replies!