Should I help the hatch?

[eviemethugh]

I just joined but all of the wonderful information here has helped us through so much!! This is our second time hatching eggs and the first time we went to sleep to nothing and woke up to babies, it was easy!! Today is day 21 and 2 of the eggs pipped last night and one of them almost totally zipped over night. The two of them are chirping and rocking but it's been more than 20 hours since pip and it hasn't finished zipping but has been trying to push out all day today. However I can also see it hasn't absorbed the whole yolk. The membrane looks good (not stuck) and we haven't touched the incubator since Monday.

There is also a Wilkie egg with a pip in it that I am itching to help get out!!! Since it's such a small egg should I help? The other eggs are large and very thick shells so I am thinking they may not hatch until tomorrow. Maybe it was a mistake to put 3 different breeds in when we are figuring all of this out?

Thanks in advance for your help!

 

[kuchchicks]

Unless of course there was no one else to operate and the baby were going to die if the C-section was not done... I think sometimes being new we get a little worried because we don't realize how long it actually takes for these eggs to hatch. I do believe that for the most part these little guys are able to hatch on there own with Nature behind the wheel. BUT with that said (and having worked as a labor and delivery nurse as well as a paramedic who has delivered babies in less than ideal situations) I also think there is a time and a place to intervene. Been there, done that. Just know that by getting involved you could actually cause what you are trying to prevent. I think that you need to really educate yourself on the HOW and the WHEN before you actually do. Also keep in mind though that every OBGyn who does perform C-sections at one time performed their first! And everyone of us that has ever helped a chick hatch did it for the first time once too! In the words of one of the wisest women I have ever met (my midwife - LOVE you Sue Hudson!!), "trust your gut!"

 

[eviemethugh]

Thanks everyone! The Silkie flew out of its shell in about 30 minutes from starting to zip. The other two the membrane started to turn white so we did have to intervene. The first one was easy, I just helped a tiny bit and it hatched on its own. The second one we realized its wing down was glued to its poor little head. So I had to work on it a bunch. We wrapped it in a warm wet cloth and put it in the bator in between short egg and membrane removal sessions. I hope it makes it! I think that for our particular climate I might have to try something different to keep the humidity stable since the Silkie was fine but then the other two weren't. We have a few more that hopefully get rocking tonight! Thanks again for the opinions!!

 

[lazy gardener]

I had my best ever hatch by boosting humidity to 75% at lock down (thanks Amy) and keeping the eggs in cartons.

 

[AmyLynn2374]

I have a set due to hatch June 3. Can you post a pic of how you have your egg cartons cut down? Also are you laying eggs on sides or pointy end down? Does it leave enough room for them to push egg apart? Does this prevent eggs from rolling when hatched chicks are crawling all over them?

Most people cut the sides of cartons down for more air flow and some cut out the bottoms. Eggs are pointy end down and yes they hatch just fine. (Though I have read a study that found that eggs in the upright position to hatch take a little longer to complete the process.) It does decrease the amount of rolling and abuse the eggs take from the hatched chicks. The main thing to look out for though are malepositioned pippers because it is harder to see a pointed end pipper and harder for them to get air.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Hatching is not a real simple process. The chick needs to absorb the yolk, dry up blood vessels external to the body and absorb that blood, somehow dry up the gunk that can make the down plastered down instead of fluffy when it dries, learn to breathe air instead of living in an liquid environment, and who knows what else before it is ready to come out. Internal pip is when it starts breathing air. Some chicks do a lot of the other things before internal pip or between internal pip and external pip. These tend to hatch pretty soon after external pip. But some do a lot of this between internal pip and external pip. It can be really frustrating waiting on these to come out. Some don’t totally do all this before they come out. A lot of these make it but they are at greater risk.

Knowing when to help, if you do, is hard. You just don’t know how ready they are to come on out. If they are not ready, helping them can kill them. If they are in trouble and you don’t help, they can die. I’ve helped a few. Some make it, some don’t. There is a reason they are having trouble hatching. That may be something you did or it may be that they are just not meant to make it.

We all do things our own way for our own reasons. For me the best way to do it is to read up on it so you have an idea of what you are dealing with then go with your gut. Patience is usually your friend, but not always.

When I help a chick I prepare a cup of warm water, about 100 degrees, and rinse the chick off to remove some of that gunk so it can move when it dries. Keep the head above water and keep it warm. I don’t worry about removing all the gunk, just enough so it can move its legs, neck, and wings. Any gunk left will wear off within a week or so.

I don’t know if having them in cut-down cartons is better or not. The commercial operations that may hatch a million chicks a week lay them on their side, but their reason doesn’t apply to me. With 100,000 or more chicks per hatcher putting out heat, their big problem is to keep the heat from building up so high that it cooks the eggs. They cool off better laying on their sides than if they are upright. I certainly don’t have that problem.

To me there are risks both ways. As Amy said, if they pip at just the wrong spot they may have trouble breathing in a carton. I lay mine flat and let them roll. It’s generally not a problem but I once saw a half shell from a hatched chick get cupped around an egg that had pipped. I noticed it and removed it and the chick hatched fine, but if I had not removed it the chick probably would not have made it. You are dealing with living animals so there are no guarantees either way. Just choose a method for your own reasons and go for it.


Good luck!

 

[CascadiaRiver]

I say wait another few hours, then maybe take something like tweezers or a pin and make a slight 'pip' in the shell but not too large and make sure the chick is ok ^^ Just be carefull~

 

[AmyLynn2374]

I just joined but all of the wonderful information here has helped us through so much!! This is our second time hatching eggs and the first time we went to sleep to nothing and woke up to babies, it was easy!! Today is day 21 and 2 of the eggs pipped last night and one of them almost totally zipped over night. The two of them are chirping and rocking but it's been more than 20 hours since pip and it hasn't finished zipping but has been trying to push out all day today. However I can also see it hasn't absorbed the whole yolk. The membrane looks good (not stuck) and we haven't touched the incubator since Monday.

There is also a Wilkie egg with a pip in it that I am itching to help get out!!! Since it's such a small egg should I help? The other eggs are large and very thick shells so I am thinking they may not hatch until tomorrow. Maybe it was a mistake to put 3 different breeds in when we are figuring all of this out?

Thanks in advance for your help!

If you see any yolk, leave it be. Better in than out w/unabsorbed yolk. Sometimes it takes over 20 hours to hatch. As long as the membranes look good and there is action and movement, it's best to give them more time. As for others give them 24 hours after your last hatch before you get too worried. Do you have a mobile device you can use beside your bator? If so, play this:

It will help motivate the pippers and zippers.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

I'll answer your question with a question of my own. If you were facing a Cesarean delivery would you chose some one to operate who had never delivered a baby by Cesarean section before? If not wait.

 

[kuchchicks]

What is your humidity at?