Please advise - sticky chick plus unabsorbed yolk?

[chelseagilgore]

Hi there

I am hatching chickens and have one healthy one that came out on day 21 quickly. The other pipped at day 22 and started zipping at day 23. He was leaking yellow goo but he hung on for a good 36 hours. He finally pushed open last night (hour 36) and is now just sitting in the half open egg trying to get out. He has been in that position for 10 hours now (hour 46 since hatch) and is drying out despite wrapping in warm wet paper towel and keeping humidity up. He is coated in a glue-like substance which leads me to think sticky chick. Everyone says to give them a warm bath so I got my materials ready and took the egg out. Once I could see inside I realized it looks like he still has some unabsorbed yolk on his belly.

So my question is: Do I take him out of the egg he is glued in and give him a warm bath? Or do I keep him in incubator for longer to let him absorb the yolk?

My humidity was definitely too high during the first two weeks. I live in the PNW and natural humidity didn't drop below 45% so I did a "dry" incubation. The airsacs still didn't grow as much as I anticipated, which I think resulted in a lot of dead chicks (only 2 pips/zips out of 7 fertilized and developing eggs).

 

[chelseagilgore]

Update: he's wiggled out of the egg and has a bloody line from his bottom to the egg. He's also very lethargic and weak. He's not fluffing up due to the "glue" around his body and seems to have trouble lifting his head.

I gave him some warm sugar water which he gobbled up as well as he could. I had to lift his head for him but he was very eager. He's in the incubator wrapped in a warm wet paper towel.

Any advice appreciated.

 

[chelseagilgore]

Update: Just gave him a warm water soak to get the crusties off followed by a little blow dry (which he hated). His navel is definitely open. What can I do to help it close/prevent infection? I have him back in the incubator but am worried since it's a hot, wet, and dirty (other eggs) environment. Will it close on its own?

 

[chelseagilgore]

Update: The chick is still alive. I've been alternating qtip warm water baths with dry toothbrush scrubs to help get the crusties off. Belly still open and still not walking. Looks like a leg deformity of some sort? They can't push off the ground, the leg just kicks the face on the ground. Do I euthanize?

 

[curious1969]

Do you have pictures of the belly and legs? You might put Neosporin on the navel to help prevent infection but I don't know how open it is. Depending on what is going on with the legs you may be able to fix it.

 

[Paterino Del Galaxia]

No, don't euthanize the poor chick, try this method. Put some betadine over his belly using cotton buds to avoid infection, cover his legs and down with a small towel or handkerchief and put him inside a small deep plastic cup and put it in the incubator, leave him there for 2 days, on the first day do not feed him anything. On the second day, go on and feed him some crushed egg yolk from an infertile chicken egg from a grocery store. If he is still weak and cannot stand on it's own, consult a veterinarian. But it's worth to firs try this method. @chelseagilgore

 

[Paterino Del Galaxia]

Make sure that if you put it inside the cup, it should not move and stand, it should only sit and adapt first to the size of the cup....

 

[Paterino Del Galaxia]

In that way he could rest and gain energy and balance its own weight so it can stand on it's legs....

 

[chelseagilgore]

No, don't euthanize the poor chick, try this method. Put some betadine over his belly using cotton buds to avoid infection, cover his legs and down with a small towel or handkerchief and put him inside a small deep plastic cup and put it in the incubator, leave him there for 2 days, on the first day do not feed him anything. On the second day, go on and feed him some crushed egg yolk from an infertile chicken egg from a grocery store. If he is still weak and cannot stand on it's own, consult a veterinarian. But it's worth to firs try this method. @chelseagilgore

I'm assuming butt down in the deep cup, almost allowing him to be cradled as if he were in the egg?

I have consulted a vet, hence the euthanasia suggestion... trying to give it a fighting chance though! I will do the betadine and the cup.

 

[chelseagilgore]

Here are some photos. I didn't have betadine on hand (going to grab some soon) so I used a benzalkonium chloride towelette which was recommended to use on chickens for wounds. I pressed it gently on the open area and he chirped a ton - I don't think he liked it. He is drinking water with electrolytes and sugar water with an antibiotic well. He seems eager. I've been given him a droperfull every 20-30 minutes. I'm going to try chick feed shortly because he is pecking at the water drops as they go in his mouth. He also passed his first poop! Which I'm taking as a good sign. His belly is VERY open. He also isn't relaxing in the cup. He is spending a lot of energy trying to get out of the cup by wriggling.

I also took him out of the incubator (dirty from poop/shells of other chicks) and moved him to the brooder but in a separate space from the other.

What do you think of the belly wound?