Opinion needed

[chrisray88]

So I have a chicken egg that pipped yesterday around 2pm. It is now 10:40 am. Another chick that already hatched rolled the egg to where it is pushed against the side of the incubator. It has partially zipped but is still not out. I can't see it real well but it seems that the membranes look a tan color. Also the chick that has hatched has been in there for almost 28 hours. I haven't opened the incubator at all. The humidity is at 61 now. Should I just leave things as they are and wait. Should I open it and take out the hatched chick, add some humidity and move the egg away from the wall?

 

[Jetblack2004]

Normally I'd wait for at least 3 or 4 chicks to have hatched before moving them because if you move the one on it's own it'll get lonely. On the other hand, 28 hours is a long time and it will need to eat and drink. I would open the lid, give the eggs and the unzipping egg a good spray, move the unzipping egg away from the wall, and then close it again. Hopefully the unzipping chick will hatch and fluff up. Then you could move them both together. The hatched chick will have to eat and drink soon though!

-Jet

 

[AllynTal]

I'm going to basically agree with Jetblack except about the chicks needing to eat and drink. The yolk sac they absorb prior to hatching sustains them for up to three days (which is why it is okay to ship live chicks through the mail). For me in my situation, 61% percent humidity at hatch is too low. I need to maintain about 70% humidity to keep them from shrink-wrapping. I can't tell you what to do, but if it were me, I would open the incubator and check that egg that is zipping, though you say the membrane looks tan. If it is tan, it is dried out (refered to as 'shrink-wrapping"). If the membrane dries around the chick's nostrils, it will suffocate in very short order. If you give it a light misting to hydrate it and then gently pull the membrane away from the chick's beak, it might help, but don't be dismayed if the chick doesn't make it. Sometimes they aren't strong enough to hatch themselves. If a chick can't hatch itself and we help it hatch, it may well always be an under-performer. If your aim is to have pet chickens, that may not be a problem for you. If your aim is to have a strong flock, then survival of the fittest start with hatching themselves.

 

[Jetblack2004]

Does the yolk sac keep them from being thirsty for 3 days as well?


Since this thread was posted 3 hours ago, how is it going?

-Jet

 

[AllynTal]

Does the yolk sac keep them from being thirsty for 3 days as well?

I don't know. Thousands of chicks are shipped every year with no food or water in the crate and arrive just fine. You'll have to ask one of them to find out if they were thirsty. Salient point is, I wouldn't make a decision on the course of action in this particular situation based on whether I thought the chick might be thirsty. I might not let it go 72 hours, but up to 48 hours would be okay.

 

[Jetblack2004]

Thank you for the information.

-Jet