pipping 1/2 way down the egg

[broodytood]

Has anyone ever had a chick pip 1/2 way down the egg instead of up by the air sack?( They are upright in cartons for hatch.) Will this hinder the hatch? Thanks.

 

[Mahonri]

If the yolk is not fully absorbed and it hit a blood vessel, it could mean trouble, but I've seen them pip the wrong end and live... go figure.

 

[broodytood]

Quote:
It's still moving but not peeping as much as I would like. Just a waiting game. Who needs sleep anyway!

 

[dreamer4217]

good luck

 

[broodytood]

Quote:
thanks

 

[pete55]

If the chick has pipped halfway down the egg then in my experience it has either;

1) Lost to much moisture from the egg during incubation OR

2) The chick is the the wrong way round with its head towards the pointed end.

All's not lost though. You can check the size of the air cell with a candler or torch to determine if its abnormally large. Also hold the egg with the blunt end to your ear. Can you hear a regular clicking/tapping noise or indeed peeping? This would indicate correct position but if the chick hatches it will be small and need to drink.

If its the wrong way round they can often still hatch although they might need help in completing the zipping phase as the head and neck are more constricted for room. Often the egg tooth catches a tiny vessel but its rare that it results in a major heamorrhage. It is most unwise in the case of mal-positioned chicks to try to assist from the blunt end of the egg as this now where the yolk sac and major umbilical vessels are located.

If I was concerned about the chick not being so lively then the most intervention would be to lift a sliver of shell and membrane from the pip only area to supply an air hole, the size of a match head. Any further or too much at once will result in a bleed. Of course another way to check if the chick is near to hatching is to use a strong light candler and see if there are still 'active bloodvessels' within the egg. These and the yolk sac are fully absorbed by the time the chick's ready to hatch.

Good luck

 

[chickintexas]

Quote:
ITA
I had this same thing happen to me last year. I intervened when I probably shouldn't have and ended up losing the chick. I know this time around I'll let nature take it's course.

 

[pete55]

You are correct in not intervening if you're not sure but the advice is based on our experiences learnt only through chick losses. Apart from your incubator your other essential equipment is a good egg candler. We use an LED version on the mains so the light is never weak from poor batteries. Its amazing what you can see and this helps to guide you in any decisions. Obviously much easier with white eggs

 

[broodytood]

Thanks for all the advice everybody!
I do have a good candler, but these are Marans eggs so visibility has always been an issue.
I know that the air cell is not overly large.
It seems like the chick is upside down.
I helped with the zip but left the membrane alone, wrapped it in a wet cloth w/ the pip hole uncovered. When I checked it later, it had removed a bit of the membrane itself and now the tip of its beak is poking out the hole.
Just trying to do the least possible unless it seems like it's in real trouble.
Just don't want ot wait too long and have it die of exhaustion!

 

[pete55]

Are you certain the chick was in the 'zipping' phase? How far around the egg had it chipped on its own?

You're unlucky to have the brown eggs as you see so much more detail in white eggs.

Good Luck