Should I help this chick!!

[katelynM]

Hi all!

I have began hatching my first batch of eggs. Today is day 20 and I woke up to one egg starting to hatch. This egg has not make much progress at all since he started this morning (about 12 hours). It looks to me like it might have a dry membrane. It is still moving some and trying to peep. What should I do?
I have attached a picture where you can see how dry the membrane looks and the chick with its beak poking out.

 

[AmyLynn2374]

Hi all!

I have began hatching my first batch of eggs. Today is day 20 and I woke up to one egg starting to hatch. This egg has not make much progress at all since he started this morning (about 12 hours). It looks to me like it might have a dry membrane. It is still moving some and trying to peep. What should I do?
I have attached a picture where you can see how dry the membrane looks and the chick with its beak poking out.

Oh, yeah, that doesn't look good at all. What is your humidity at in the bator??? I would definitely pull it out get a wet cotton ball or q-tip and moisten it. Increase the pip hole so you can see the inner membrane and check to see if it is drying and sticking to the chick. Moisten the inner membrane around the pip area and (with tweezers if you have them,) gently pull any stuck/glued membrane away from the chick. Once you have the membrane all unstuck around the chick and moistened, wrap a wet paper towel around the back, cradling the egg and put it back in to give it a chance to progress on its own. And keep us updated. Hopefully he'll be fine.

 

[lazy gardener]

Read the article about "assisted hatch" in "Hatching 101" in the learning center. If you see any blood in the membrane, be sure to stop right away. Also, if you wet the membrane, be extremely cautious. If you get a drop of water on the chick's beak, he could suck it in and drown. same with water around the nares. And, remember that any water that gets into the chick's space will go where ever gravity takes it, and may end up being a source of drowning if the egg rolls the wrong way. I've found that the best way for me to help with those stuck chicks is to enlarge the pip, as Amy says, and then, just leave the chick to rest for a few hours. I've left them as long as 12 hours, or waited until my hatch was just about over, and then dealt with them. IMO, the extra time doesn't hurt, and it gives plenty of time to be sure the blood vessels are shut down, and the yolk absorbed. By then, all you have to deal with is a dry, stuck chick, but none of the risks associated with blood vessels or yolk. I then use tweezers to chip away the shell, and wet the membrane. The chick may complete the hatch at this point, or may be too weak to complete. If he's really most sincerely stuck, I float him in a warm water bath, of course being sure to guard his airway, and knowing that any water that enters the membrane can back wash up around him and cause him to drown. But, I find that with the warm water bath, it's less traumatic to complete the assist, and get the membrane off. Then, it's just a matter of toweling him dry, and popping him into the bator to rest up and dry a bit before transferring to the brooder.

 

[AmyLynn2374]

Read the article about "assisted hatch" in "Hatching 101" in the learning center. If you see any blood in the membrane, be sure to stop right away. Also, if you wet the membrane, be extremely cautious. If you get a drop of water on the chick's beak, he could suck it in and drown. same with water around the nares. And, remember that any water that gets into the chick's space will go where ever gravity takes it, and may end up being a source of drowning if the egg rolls the wrong way. I've found that the best way for me to help with those stuck chicks is to enlarge the pip, as Amy says, and then, just leave the chick to rest for a few hours. I've left them as long as 12 hours, or waited until my hatch was just about over, and then dealt with them. IMO, the extra time doesn't hurt, and it gives plenty of time to be sure the blood vessels are shut down, and the yolk absorbed. By then, all you have to deal with is a dry, stuck chick, but none of the risks associated with blood vessels or yolk. I then use tweezers to chip away the shell, and wet the membrane. The chick may complete the hatch at this point, or may be too weak to complete. If he's really most sincerely stuck, I float him in a warm water bath, of course being sure to guard his airway, and knowing that any water that enters the membrane can back wash up around him and cause him to drown. But, I find that with the warm water bath, it's less traumatic to complete the assist, and get the membrane off. Then, it's just a matter of toweling him dry, and popping him into the bator to rest up and dry a bit before transferring to the brooder.

Thing is if the inner membrane has started to dry and glue to the chick, the chick isn't going to be able to move to hatch and is going to exhaust itself trying. That's why I always check the inner membrane and make sure it's moistened and not glued, then give them time to further progress on their own.In my experience just "unsticking" them from their membrane (around the pip) is enough to allow them to finish successfully on their own.

 

[katelynM]

Well this little guy (or girl) ended up hatching out on his own about an hour after I posted this!! I have been trying to keep the bator at at least 60 humidity, it has been a struggle! Right now I just have 2 chickens hatched out of the 10 in the incubator, we will see how the others do overnight!
Thank you all!!

 

[AmyLynn2374]

Well this little guy (or girl) ended up hatching out on his own about an hour after I posted this!! I have been trying to keep the bator at at least 60 humidity, it has been a struggle! Right now I just have 2 chickens hatched out of the 10 in the incubator, we will see how the others do overnight!
Thank you all!!

That's great!! For humidity, have you tried using a couple of wet sponges and placing them in the bator? I fill all my water wells and add 2-3 (clean of course) wet sponges (on top of my floor/screen-I use a Little Giant) and it usually holds my humidity up in the 75% range where I like it.

 

[kuchchicks]

Well this little guy (or girl) ended up hatching out on his own about an hour after I posted this!! I have been trying to keep the bator at at least 60 humidity, it has been a struggle! Right now I just have 2 chickens hatched out of the 10 in the incubator, we will see how the others do overnight!
Thank you all!!

That's great news! I am very happy that it turned out well. Hatching is so exciting but can also be stressful... but a good stress!

That's great!! For humidity, have you tried using a couple of wet sponges and placing them in the bator? I fill all my water wells and add 2-3 (clean of course) wet sponges (on top of my floor/screen-I use a Little Giant) and it usually holds my humidity up in the 75% range where I like it.

This is exactly what I do. The sponges are great because they are very easy to remove it your humidity starts to get too high. IMO it's the easiest way to control humidity.

 

[AmyLynn2374]

That's great news! I am very happy that it turned out well. Hatching is so exciting but can also be stressful... but a good stress!

This is exactly what I do. The sponges are great because they are very easy to remove it your humidity starts to get too high. IMO it's the easiest way to control humidity.

It is I rely on my sponges. And it's so much easier to up humidity during hatch when you need to. Grab one, wet it and stick it back in.