Please help newbie hatcher!!

[crzyckldy]

I have 7 eggs going on day 22. One pipped the wrong end yesterday, I waited too long to try & help and it died. Another that pipped correctly has been struggling all day to zip. I have a small Janoel 8 incubator & my hygrometer went out yesterday so now I don't know my humidity :-(!! I have the bottom almost completely full of water. The struggling chick looks like it may be stuck to the membrane! Please help! What should I do????

 

[crzyckldy]

Please anyone with advice!! I also have one that pipped in the middle of the egg.Doesn't look like it's in the air cell!!!

 

[CSisley]

It's very strange that your chick that pipped in the wrong end just died. I seriously doubt that your lack of assistance was what caused it. As long as it was able to get air through the pip it should have been fine for at least two days. It's possible that it hit a vein that was too large which caused it to bleed to death. It could have just been a weak chick but either way it's not your fault that you didn't assist it. I would give the zipping chick a chance to hatch on its own at least until tomorrow. Zipping can take a very long time and if you rush them you could do more harm than good. I would follow the advice of this article if you are considering assisting any of your chicks: https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/step-by-step-guide-to-assisted-hatching

I'm not familiar with Janoel but a decent incubator should come with instructions on how much water to have in there at hatch time to get your incubator at 65%. The humidity will increase as the chicks hatch so if I feel like it's getting too high (>80%) I will vent the incubator just a little bit. You could buy a hygrometer at a local pet store but some are better than others and you may want to check out their reviews on amazon before buying.

 

[crzyckldy]

Thanks for your advice! I quickly removed the other eggs , including the one that pipped in the middle of the egg. I candled the other eggs & all are dead :-( .. The 2 that had pipped in the wrong spot had cracked the egg but it didn't get through the membrane? They were all doing great until lockdown? Could it be because I let the humidity get to high at that time??

 

[HugHess]

I am sorry for your loss and the stress it has caused.
I am setting my first ever batch tomorrow and can imagine your pain. Hopefully this experience won't be a deterent, but will keep you in the game, now giving you a better shot for success for the next round.
Will look forward to reading about your next chapter in hatching.

 

[crzyckldy]

Thank you very much! The last one left that seemed stuck finally hatched out! Yeah! But it seems weak and his stomach/ bottom area looks really big and swollen to me. Can anyone tell me if this is normal?

 

[crzyckldy]

Can anyone help me with this?? The chick is still alive this morning but has a hard time walking. It's bottom is still swollen :-(

 

[Aronia]

Uh-oh...

 

[Aronia]

Feed it sugar water and hard-boiled egg.

 

[crzyckldy]

Ok I'll try that Thanks!!!