Should I assist more?

[Trisseh]

Don’t mess with the navel, the dried stuff will fall off on its own. I like to dip it in iodine when they’ve had a bit of a harder time and then just let them sit in the incubator til fluffed. do you have other eggs that have hatched as well? when did they hatch?

not abnormal at all to have malpositioned chicks with shipped eggs. I count any live chick from shipped eggs to be a success, whether or not I had to help them.

Definitely take a read through the article that was linked for you so you have it for the next time, but all in all, the outcome this time is ok. generally its best to leave as much shell as possible because once the shell is gone and only membrane is left, it becomes impossible for the chick to get out on its own, with nothing to push against - those ones ALWAYS need help all the way through. Also, the shell keeps the membrane moist while the chick is finishing up absorbing and getting ready to emerge, and lessens the amount of fussing with oil that you need to do.

All that being said, good job! Every experience is a learning experience, and now you have an assisted hatch under your belt.

 

[Smileybans]

Don't try to get anything off, just let him dry off in the incubator or brooder. I can't see much from your pic but it appears the yolk was absorbed so that's a good sign.

Ok. That makes me feel much better. Will the dried membrane come off on its own when he’s dry? This is only my sixth hatch and I’ve never had this happen. At 9 this morning I should have taken him out but that yellow bit scared me. I thought he hadn’t absorbed everything yet.

 

[Smileybans]

Don’t mess with the navel, the dried stuff will fall off on its own. I like to dip it in iodine when they’ve had a bit of a harder time and then just let them sit in the incubator til fluffed. do you have other eggs that have hatched as well? when did they hatch?

not abnormal at all to have malpositioned chicks with shipped eggs. I count any live chick from shipped eggs to be a success, whether or not I had to help them.

Definitely take a read through the article that was linked for you so you have it for the next time, but all in all, the outcome this time is ok. generally its best to leave as much shell as possible because once the shell is gone and only membrane is left, it becomes impossible for the chick to get out on its own, with nothing to push against - those ones ALWAYS need help all the way through. Also, the shell keeps the membrane moist while the chick is finishing up absorbing and getting ready to emerge, and lessens the amount of fussing with oil that you need to do.

All that being said, good job! Every experience is a learning experience, and now you have an assisted hatch under your belt.

You are so right about shipped eggs. And these ones were in the mail for two weeks. So I’m surprised any hatched. But when I applied the oil at 9 this morning his membrane was like leather. I wanted to take him out right then, probably should have, but the yellow bit of yolk scared me.
I had one hatch yesterday. This one pipped at the same time as the other one but made no progress. And then this morning the membrane was brown. Like dirt brown.
I did read through the article. That’s how I got the coconut idea. I was using water before but it wasn’t working. I think the oil saved him really. When I took him out his wing was stuck up over his head and he was at the wrong side of the egg. I think the bit of fluff I was seeing was his wing feathers drying in the air. Poor guy.
But I’m so glad he has a chance and that I got to him in time. I’ll leave him to dry in the incubator and check on him periodically.

 

[Trisseh]

You are so right about shipped eggs. And these ones were in the mail for two weeks. So I’m surprised any hatched. But when I applied the oil at 9 this morning his membrane was like leather. I wanted to take him out right then, probably should have, but the yellow bit of yolk scared me.
I had one hatch yesterday. This one pipped at the same time as the other one but made no progress. And then this morning the membrane was brown. Like dirt brown.
I did read through the article. That’s how I got the coconut idea. I was using water before but it wasn’t working. I think the oil saved him really. When I took him out his wing was stuck up over his head and he was at the wrong side of the egg. I think the bit of fluff I was seeing was his wing feathers drying in the air. Poor guy.
But I’m so glad he has a chance and that I got to him in time. I’ll leave him to dry in the incubator and check on him periodically.

Cool! I’m glad you have a friend for this one too, it makes such a difference.

it’s so much worse when you can’t find their beak! But it’s always best to leave them longer so long as they can breathe, if you can’t see much else in there, which is what you did. personally, looking at your pics, I think the gunk in the egg was just egg junk, the waste products left behind, not yolk - which is a good thing! But I’ve killed chicks and ducklings in the past when I was first starting out by rushing them, and I’ve had early hatchers that kill themselves because they’re not actually ready to come out yet, and bleed out... so as long as the little isn’t in distress, it’s fine to leave them a little longer. Especially those that pip the wrong end; they take longer because of the whole internal/external pip in one go.

 

[TheMother]

Ok. That makes me feel much better. Will the dried membrane come off on its own when he’s dry? This is only my sixth hatch and I’ve never had this happen. At 9 this morning I should have taken him out but that yellow bit scared me. I thought he hadn’t absorbed everything yet.

Once she's running around and all perked up, fill up the sink or a bowl with warm water and lather the chick up with a gentle soap, I used a foaming baby soap I had on hand, rinse her gently and put back in the Incubator to fluff up again .

 

[Smileybans]

How long does it usually take to dry off? She’s still wet like she just hatched. Still lively and running around though. Can I wash her and blow dry then put her in the brooder or is that too much for her?

 

[Smileybans]

Here she is now.

 

[UThobbyfarmer]

She doesn't looks wet. She just looks crusty. She'll never fluff up like a normal chick until she's cleaned/bathed (which I'm not advising) or she has a few days to preen herself. As long as she's not uncomfortable or stuck to herself in some odd way that's impeding movement or causing harm let it ride. It's cosmetic.

A normal chick would usually be fluffed out in a few hours.

 

[Smileybans]

She doesn't looks wet. She just looks crusty. She'll never fluff up like a normal chick until she's cleaned/bathed (which I'm not advising) or she has a few days to preen herself. As long as she's not uncomfortable or stuck to herself in some odd way that's impeding movement or causing harm let it ride. It's cosmetic.

A normal chick would usually be fluffed out in a few hours.

Is she okay to put in the brooder like this? Or should I leave her in the incubator overnight?

 

[UThobbyfarmer]

As long as no pipped eggs are being bothered I usually leave any chicks needing any extra TLC in the incubator. To move to the brooder they should be walking around pretty good. So they can adjust their temperature by moving between the hot and cold spots.