Please help! Do I need to put coconut oil on pip?

[MGG]

So I used some of this advice, so thanks again! I took the chick out to the brooder and this little guy is so fussy that the others were a bit terrified with him in there. I decided to bring him back in because I wasn't sure if the stuck on membrane was hurting him or what the problem was. I didn't put him in a bowl of water, but I did warm up a small bowl of water and had a jar of coconut oil too. I alternated between the warm water and the coconut oil on the now hardened membrane and a chunk of shell. I was able to get the shell off first and then with just a tiny bit more water, the membrane slipped off. He is back in the incubator getting his neck dried off. I wonder if the shell was poking him and if the membrane was pulling at his down as it was really stuck on there. The membrane actually made him unable to get the shell off of his head. I actually had to break the shell and rip the membrane to free him during hatch. Hopefully he'll start to feel better once he is dried and can meet his brooder mates again very soon. I definitely feel much better about him now that he is membrane free.
A few days after my Serama hatched (experienced shrink wrapping on her head and neck) I was able to just wipe the dried and shriveled up membrane out of her down. I used coconut oil on her head to remove the membrane as it was on a tiny part of her eyelid. I can see how that kills chicks before they're able to hatch or during hatch. This has certainly been a learning experience.
@MGG do you think this chick would have been OK if I didn't intervene in the beginning? I'm just wondering if I made the right choice in assisting him when I did. I guess we wouldn't have known how malpositioned he was. Next time a zip stalls, I'll definitely be on the lookout for malpositioning and shrink wrapping. I am confident that I would have lost this chick without your help. I can't thank you enough

I'm glad you got that stuff off of him. It probably did hurt.
No, I think he would have died. He was so stuck in there, and in a terrible position. You did a great job getting him out. I think it would have been impossible for him to hatch on his own. He's a lucky little guy. Yeah, if a zip stalls for more than 30 minutes it's time to finish the zip.

 

[HeatherKellyB]

I wanted to update this thread with the chicks that have hatched, thanks to this thread (especially @MGG) . Unfortunately I didn't get a picture of Fancy Nancy as that poor little chick is having its awkward feather stage. My daughter says that Fancy looks homeless. Poor little silkie struggles. I will update as soon as the feathers are in and I can get a picture that won't embarrass her
First is Marionette, the Serama that was so frustrated that she hatched out in my hand. I thought she was a cockerel but the breeder said that she's a pullet. She is so sweet!!!

Next is the Spitz. He doesn't have a name yet because my daughter and I keep going back and forth about a name. This chick is wild. I believe it's a boy, but it isn't outgoing like most cockerels are, so time will tell.

The first CCL cockerel to hatch was Freddy. He is very reserved and shy, but I caught him snuggled up to the smallest, youngest chick this morning.

This is the hopeful CCL pullet that worried me, but she was only resting before making her debut. I'm hoping to name her "Luna Petunia" but my daughter is trying to come up with another option that we both like.

This is Mally's chick (Midnight Majesty Marans crossed with Silkie). I am in love with this cutie and the way she looks! I was expecting a cute chick, but she is so adorable! This chick and the next youngest one are terrified of my phone so I tried to get a good picture but they didn't like it at all.

This little guy was the latest to hatch. His shoulder area is finally regular skin color. The stuck membrane and shell made his skin so red. I was getting worried but it looks good tonight. He was not going to let me get a picture, so this is the best I could get tonight. I thought he was a big chick but he is tiny compared to the others, even the one that hatched about 12 hours before. I have watched him eat a little bit and have some water. Hopefully he'll catch up in size quickly. He is a fussy chick but seems to be getting along well with the others and that's made a HUGE difference.

 

[MGG]

I wanted to update this thread with the chicks that have hatched, thanks to this thread (especially @MGG) . Unfortunately I didn't get a picture of Fancy Nancy as that poor little chick is having its awkward feather stage. My daughter says that Fancy looks homeless. Poor little silkie struggles. I will update as soon as the feathers are in and I can get a picture that won't embarrass her
First is Marionette, the Serama that was so frustrated that she hatched out in my hand. I thought she was a cockerel but the breeder said that she's a pullet. She is so sweet!!!
View attachment 2288084

Next is the Spitz. He doesn't have a name yet because my daughter and I keep going back and forth about a name. This chick is wild. I believe it's a boy, but it isn't outgoing like most cockerels are, so time will tell.
View attachment 2288088
The first CCL cockerel to hatch was Freddy. He is very reserved and shy, but I caught him snuggled up to the smallest, youngest chick this morning.
View attachment 2288089
This is the hopeful CCL pullet that worried me, but she was only resting before making her debut. I'm hoping to name her "Luna Petunia" but my daughter is trying to come up with another option that we both like.
View attachment 2288094
This is Mally's chick (Midnight Majesty Marans crossed with Silkie). I am in love with this cutie and the way she looks! I was expecting a cute chick, but she is so adorable! This chick and the next youngest one are terrified of my phone so I tried to get a good picture but they didn't like it at all.
View attachment 2288095
This little guy was the latest to hatch. His shoulder area is finally regular skin color. The stuck membrane and shell made his skin so red. I was getting worried but it looks good tonight. He was not going to let me get a picture, so this is the best I could get tonight. I thought he was a big chick but he is tiny compared to the others, even the one that hatched about 12 hours before. I have watched him eat a little bit and have some water. Hopefully he'll catch up in size quickly. He is a fussy chick but seems to be getting along well with the others and that's made a HUGE difference.
View attachment 2288097

Thank you for the pics! I love them all. Marionette is gorgeous.
The Spitz is really cute. I'm excited to see how he feathers out.
I'm pretty sure the CCL chick is a pullet, unless it's a mix with that Aracauna. (which would also look super awesome I think)
Oh my goodness! Mally's baby is adorable!!! I love it! Was the Silkie Father blue? It looks like it has bluish down.
Thanks again for the pics. They're all so cute.
Do you have any more eggs in the incubator?

 

[HeatherKellyB]

Thank you for the pics! I love them all. Marionette is gorgeous.
The Spitz is really cute. I'm excited to see how he feathers out.
I'm pretty sure the CCL chick is a pullet, unless it's a mix with that Aracauna. (which would also look super awesome I think)
Oh my goodness! Mally's baby is adorable!!! I love it! Was the Silkie Father blue? It looks like it has bluish down.
Thanks again for the pics. They're all so cute.
Do you have any more eggs in the incubator?

Thank you! Marionette was crazy for the first week after hatching, but now, oh my goodness, she is such a sweetheart. I'm not sure how much of her personality has to do with her being brooded alone, but she is very special. I love all of my birds (even the jerk roosters and cockerels, for some reason, hahaha!) but there are a few "special" ones.
I am very excited to see how the Spitz feathers out too. I did find information on some that are totally black feathered, but the seller said that all of her chicks hatch like this one and feather out normally. I have a Mottled Japanese Bantam that hatched out white with a fairly thin black "X" covering his back. He feathered in mostly Black with a little bit of white mottling, so I guess only time will tell.
I appreciate your confirmation about the CCL pullet. I was hoping you would share your thoughts on her. Although she is the same size as the cockerel, she does seem more feminine and has smaller feet. Her feathering looks very different from his too.
Mally's chick is just absolutely gorgeous! The dad is either a Blue silkie (which I'm hoping is the Dad) or a white silkie (really hope he's not since he is a jerk). The down is a light bluish color and so thick! I need to look into which traits are recessive and which ones are dominant to get an idea of what to expect this one to look like. That is all so interesting and exciting to me!
I do have more eggs in the incubator. About 19 days ago I was given some eggs from a chicken keeper that is local to me. They're going into lockdown today. I didn't see the flock but from what I'm hearing, it's a fairly large flock. My neighbor gets eggs to have incubated and for consumption from there. She had someone hatch out some Rhode Island Reds for her from that farm and she had a very successful hatch. She said that the farm has "Ameraucana's, Rhode Island Red's, and Tophat's". I'm guessing "Tophat's" are Polish & I'm sure the others are Easter Eggers. Do you know of any other breed that are called "TopHat's"? I told her that I'd like some "Ameraucana's and TopHat's". Out of the dozen she gave me, 9 are still looking good, as of yesterday afternoon. I believe that all but 1 are Easter Eggers. I was hoping for more Polish, but they were free, so I'm not complaining. If they turn out to be Polish, I will definitely try to get more, because you know how much I love a crested bird They have incubated in the Incuview and I believe I am going to leave them to hatch in there. This will be my first time hatching in the Incuview. They have incubated with humidity around 20%. How much of an increase in humidity should I start with today? When should I raise the humidity to 65%? I have a difficult time keeping the humidity at a normal 30%-45%. It's simple to keep it low and it's simple to get and keep high. Folks here have made their own changes to the Incuview and I really like the changes some of them have made for adding water. I need to work on that but it's too late for incubator changes for this "clutch" (what is a group of eggs being incubated called?).
Thanks again, for everything! Your help and support have been amazing and I am so grateful for you

 

[MGG]

Thank you! Marionette was crazy for the first week after hatching, but now, oh my goodness, she is such a sweetheart. I'm not sure how much of her personality has to do with her being brooded alone, but she is very special. I love all of my birds (even the jerk roosters and cockerels, for some reason, hahaha!) but there are a few "special" ones.
I am very excited to see how the Spitz feathers out too. I did find information on some that are totally black feathered, but the seller said that all of her chicks hatch like this one and feather out normally. I have a Mottled Japanese Bantam that hatched out white with a fairly thin black "X" covering his back. He feathered in mostly Black with a little bit of white mottling, so I guess only time will tell.
I appreciate your confirmation about the CCL pullet. I was hoping you would share your thoughts on her. Although she is the same size as the cockerel, she does seem more feminine and has smaller feet. Her feathering looks very different from his too.
Mally's chick is just absolutely gorgeous! The dad is either a Blue silkie (which I'm hoping is the Dad) or a white silkie (really hope he's not since he is a jerk). The down is a light bluish color and so thick! I need to look into which traits are recessive and which ones are dominant to get an idea of what to expect this one to look like. That is all so interesting and exciting to me!
I do have more eggs in the incubator. About 19 days ago I was given some eggs from a chicken keeper that is local to me. They're going into lockdown today. I didn't see the flock but from what I'm hearing, it's a fairly large flock. My neighbor gets eggs to have incubated and for consumption from there. She had someone hatch out some Rhode Island Reds for her from that farm and she had a very successful hatch. She said that the farm has "Ameraucana's, Rhode Island Red's, and Tophat's". I'm guessing "Tophat's" are Polish & I'm sure the others are Easter Eggers. Do you know of any other breed that are called "TopHat's"? I told her that I'd like some "Ameraucana's and TopHat's". Out of the dozen she gave me, 9 are still looking good, as of yesterday afternoon. I believe that all but 1 are Easter Eggers. I was hoping for more Polish, but they were free, so I'm not complaining. If they turn out to be Polish, I will definitely try to get more, because you know how much I love a crested bird They have incubated in the Incuview and I believe I am going to leave them to hatch in there. This will be my first time hatching in the Incuview. They have incubated with humidity around 20%. How much of an increase in humidity should I start with today? When should I raise the humidity to 65%? I have a difficult time keeping the humidity at a normal 30%-45%. It's simple to keep it low and it's simple to get and keep high. Folks here have made their own changes to the Incuview and I really like the changes some of them have made for adding water. I need to work on that but it's too late for incubator changes for this "clutch" (what is a group of eggs being incubated called?).
Thanks again, for everything! Your help and support have been amazing and I am so grateful for you

Marionette is adorable. Every time I brood chicks alone they're pretty sweet. I don't like integrating them though (it's pretty stressful on me and then) so I don't raise chicks alone any more.
Yeah, I'm quite sure the CCL is a girl. She looks very different from the males, and, like you said looks pretty feminine.
I hope Mally's chick is a female, I'd love to see how the coloring on her would turn out. I wonder what color eggs it would lay. I think the Blue must be the dad, the down is too blue to have a white dad.
Cool! So are you locking those down today or did you do it yesterday? TopHats must be Polish, although I did find this link that has other breeds. https://www.purelypoultry.com/top-hats-c-154_210.html
It even includes Spitzs. Can you ask her for a pic of one of these said "Top Hats"?
Polish are really cool looking. Their crests are so big and fluffy. The chicks look so goofy
Do the air cells look pretty good? I'd up humidity to 60% until you see an intermal pip again. Maybe you should move them to the NR, just because you know they're doing well hatching in there. And you know where to have the humidity. Sometimes even if you put the humidity at the same % in a different incubator, it will be too high or low, because the hydrometer might be off. If you have a salt tested hydrometer you can have in the Incuview, you could definitely try hatching in there. I just don't want a humidity screw up of some kind to cause last minute issues, if you know what I mean.
I call them "batches", but I've heard people call them clutches too. I think it's just whatever you want to call them, lol.

 

[HeatherKellyB]

This is the newest CCL chicks naval. I haven't tried wiping it or putting anything on it. It is dry. Does it look like it needs ointment or any further attention? Thank you for everything @MGG

 

[MGG]

This is the newest CCL chicks naval. I haven't tried wiping it or putting anything on it. It is dry. Does it look like it needs ointment or any further attention? Thank you for everything @MGG
View attachment 2289078

I think it looks good.
I would just let it dry up and fall off on its own.

 

[HeatherKellyB]

I think it looks good.
I would just let it dry up and fall off on its own.

So relieved to hear that. This chick is having a slow start to fitting in. The others are mean at all. This one just acts so young still (I know it is young, but the others seemed to get so independent overnight) and constantly trying to get under the others (looking for mama). I worry about this one a lot. I'm constantly going to the shop checking on it and the brooder temp. I found a heating mat made by Manna Pro that is used for chicks and/or grown birds. I didn't want to spend the money on it, but I believe it'd be nice to have piece of mind that the chicks are nice and warm

 

[MGG]

So relieved to hear that. This chick is having a slow start to fitting in. The others are mean at all. This one just acts so young still (I know it is young, but the others seemed to get so independent overnight) and constantly trying to get under the others (looking for mama). I worry about this one a lot. I'm constantly going to the shop checking on it and the brooder temp. I found a heating mat made by Manna Pro that is used for chicks and/or grown birds. I didn't want to spend the money on it, but I believe it'd be nice to have piece of mind that the chicks are nice and warm

Maybe separate it in a separate brooder, and heat it with a heat lamp until he gets his feet under him. Just to be safe.
I've heard about that mat I think, and have heard it doesn't get hot enough for young chicks. I don't gave experience with them though. I did make a Mama Heating Pad, and it works awesome. The only cost was the heating pad.

 

[HeatherKellyB]

Maybe separate it in a separate brooder, and heat it with a heat lamp until he gets his feet under him. Just to be safe.
I've heard about that mat I think, and have heard it doesn't get hot enough for young chicks. I don't gave experience with them though. I did make a Mama Heating Pad, and it works awesome. The only cost was the heating pad.

I wonder if it would be enough with a heat plate as well. I was hoping to use both to make things warm enough for a brand new hatchers. Any thoughts? I am worried about using either of them alone, but together maybe? I certainly don't want to spend the money if it's not going to work. Thank you for mentioning that. It gives me hope that there something on the internet about using both. The lady that breeds the Seramas uses a heat plate and a heating pad that is made for dogs that she purchased off of Amazon. She didn't have the direct link so I am too worried about using just any of them without any feedback.