Poults hatching early and pipping wrong end. Please help!

[MentoringMom]

My poults were due to hatch on Sunday, but this morning some of them were pipping already, 3 days early! I turned off the egg turner and increased humidity immediately. It's been about 12 hours since the first eggs pipped. The first egg that pipped died, but the 3rd and 4th hatched out just fine and both poults are doing well.

However the second one that pipped just doesn't seem to be progressing. I can see movement, but the egg has looked like this for close to 12 hours now. Both this one and the one that died pipped at the narrow end. Should I leave it until morning and see what happens, or do something to help it before I head to bed (if I can sleep)? It looks like another egg has also pipped at the narrow end.

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• MentoringMom
• Jun 8, 2017

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• MentoringMom
• Jun 8, 2017
• 4

 

[MentoringMom]

It's now been close to 24 hours since that egg pipped, and I can tell the poult is still alive in there. I've removed the eggshell around the pip since he doesn't seem to be able to unzip himself, and wrapped the egg in a moist cloth leaving it open where the beak is peeking through the hole. How will I know if I need to help him break through the outer membrane?

 

[Chicken Chat]

When they pip at the wrong end, they skip the internal pip so could be at least a good 12 hours ahead of schedule to even externally pip, then maybe another 10-12 hours before zip so you can't rush. The blood has to leave the membrane and the yolk has to absorb. I had one pip the wrong end last month. It took 26 hours before it started to zip. I did remove a bit of shell (but not membrane) to make sure it had an air hole. That exposed membrane will dry out so I rubbed a bit of bag balm on it to keep it moist and propped the narrow end up.

 

[MentoringMom]

I think that first one died, but now there's another pipped at the wrong end. Is there something else I can put on it, as it looks like the membrane is drying out and I don't have bag balm.

 

[MentoringMom]

I ended up wrapping that egg in a damp washcloth, and then went to bed. In the morning there were 3 more poults that had hatched, including the washcloth wrapped one! Half of them have now hatched, plus 2 that died after pipping, so there are still 8 more eggs in the incubator that have not pipped.