Peep trying to hatch and blood!

[chicksinthemachine]

I have it wrapped up in warm wet shirt but then what? maybe I should post this under emergencies.

 

[twigg]

Quote:
You have done all you can.

Just a note of caution. Occasionally there is a small amount of red in a normal hatching. Blood problems are more common with assisted hatchings.

Are they arriving at the right time?

Don't wrap an egg tightly, the chick might not be able to get out.

 

[ruth]

Could you please provide a little more information? Is it day 21? Did the chick pip (make a hole in shell) on it's own and when? Have you "helped" it at all or removed any shell? Is the chick peeping "chirping"? Is there actually running blood or are you just seeing the bloody membrane and veins?

 

[chicksinthemachine]

Well it is day 23 and yes I pipped a little bit (I now stupid) but I am watching my in laws eggs and her last hatch didn't hatch because she can't seem to get the humidity right. when I pipped a little the layer below the shell was very white and I thought maybe it was stuck and now I'm stuck!

 

[ruth]

It's o.k. I killed my first two hatches by trying to help them out. I've learned a lot since then - especially about patience.

Is the chick peeping - making noise - still alive? And did it make it's own first hole and when?

Assuming it's alive and peeping and if you are sure it's been 23 days - to proceed:

You can use tweezers and carefully pick a small "zip" around the egg - removing only shell in tiny pieces at a time. Careful to not break the "dry white" membrane under neath. If the chic pipped it's own hole there should be a hole somewhere that the membrane already has a hole in it and hopefully the chick has it's beak out. Sometimes you can carefully enlarge that hole.

Once you have a zip around - and the membrane is dry white you can moisten it with your fingertip wetted in water. Don't get water into the hole where the chick is - just moisten the dry white membrane and then put the egg back in bator. If there is a zip all the way around and a wet membrane and squirming chick - the chick should be able to do the rest and get out. Give it some time. If you are already seeing some blood it sounds like it isn't ready to hatch just yet. If at any point in the process you see blood, stop and put the egg back in bator.

I have had to help hatch dozens of chicks that were just too big for their shell. Once they had their initial hole, they just sort of exploded/expanded in egg and you could see their little faces pushed out and could tell they could not move and spin to get the rest of the egg zipped. All of my Barred Rocks turned out to be "Big Beefies" and had to be helped out while the Ameraucans in same hatch were small and zipped right out of their shells while I slept.

Good luck.

 

[chicksinthemachine]

Yes it is very much alive and seems to be panting! What should I do? Please help RUTH.

 

[ruth]

I'm here and will be happy to help all night if necessary.

Did you try the above steps? How much of the shell is missing and how long ago did you try and remove shell and get blood?

 

[chicksinthemachine]

Oh thank goodness! God bless you! The shell is mostly gone but not the membrane. but the blood is runny I think. Oh yeah and less than 45 minutes ago.

 

[chicksinthemachine]

Thanks anyway Ruth it just died. It drowned in its own blood I didn't react quick enough.

 

[ruth]

I'm so sorry. I stepped away from pc to eat dinner thinking you would be tied up for awhile zipping the shell.

At least you tried. It sounds like it wasn't quite ready to hatch. If you are sure it was day 23 could have been due to low temps.

You'll know next time. It's all a learning experience. Like I said, I killed my first two trying too quickly to help them out of shell. They had pipped the night before and after several hours I panicked and started zipping shell, then tearing membrane, ignoring blood - I was determined I HAD to get them out right then. Then I did and they were still alive and I thought they were shivering so I held a heat lamp over them and they kicked a few times and died.

Since then I've helped hatch dozens of chicks, most of whom are just too big to get out of shell but I've learned never to tear the membrane and if I see any drop of blood to stop and wait a few hours. I've also learned that it can be as much as two days after pip before it hatches so patience is virtue. I'm sorely lacking in patience.

I'm so sorry to hear about your little chick.