Please help... chick in desperate need..

[MrCurt]

I have recently incubated 6 eggs, at day 8 I did some candling and found one unfertilised egg and one that seemed to be a few days behind development, all others were going great. I removed the unfertilised egg but left the others, on day 17 I checked the remaining five eggs and the “under developed” egg was still at day 4/5 so removed that egg. On day 18 I locked the incubator (as I had been opening and turning the eggs five times a day up to this point). On day 21 two eggs pipped and 10hrs later one had zipped and hatched, the other one did not zip as such and just made a hole the size of a finger nail and stuck its beak out. I left them over night and the following morning the second egg was still exactly the same. I waited for a while longer (about 36hrs after the initial pip) but as it was obvious it wasn’t going to get out, I removed the egg and assisted the hatch, which seemed to go fine. There was no yolk left so it was the right time to assist. That said the chick obviously had issues it really didn’t want to straighten it’s neck and was laying on its back with its head bent round. We also noticed it’s beak was a scissor beak. I left it in the incubator for the rest of the day and although it dried out and fluffed up it was still on its back. I removed it from the incubator so I could help it get upright but it kept flopping back over. I noticed that it beak was a bit deformed more then just scissor beak and it looks like it can’t actually open it’s beak!!! It is now upright and moving around but I have not seen it eat/drink or open it’s beak at all. What should I do???

 

[nikolairapunzel]

How is the chick doing? Has it opened its beak?

 

[MrCurt]

No, might try to help it but the bottom beak looks like it is twisted by 90degrees. Not sure if the chick can even use its muscles to open it if I do help “free it up”. Really don’t want to hurt it but otherwise it will die of starvation or dehydration....

 

[nikolairapunzel]

That is a really tough spot to be in. I am so sorry, I have no experience to help you. I wish I had helpful advice. Maybe if you kind wedge your nail in and help it pry it open, it may be able to work. I think if it can open its beak it can survive. I know I saw someone else who had a scissor beak and helped it survive.