Should I help?

[dusky]

So, my first pipper yesterday made very little if any progress by evening, while all the eggs around him were zipping and popping out like popcorn. This morning would've been 24 hours since pip, and now it's early afternoon. It looks like the shell is only partially zipped, but the chick is in the same position. I think the other chicks might've been pecking at the shell and pulling it off, it seems like it was cast off in big chunks. The membrane is stained a weird yellowish brownish. The egg is pretty oblong shaped. This egg had dried down the least of all the eggs though i tried to lower the humidity as much as possible. For lockdown I had the humidity up to 75%-80%.

When do you think it'd be appropriate to help? I know some folks don't want to help, but for me, since he's come this far I intend to if he really needs it. He's still breathing and resting in the egg currently, and is responsive to taps and the other chicks kicking around his egg. Should I wait until tomorrow morning? The others are getting strong enough to walk around the incubator, and I'd like to take them out soon. :/

 

[Zippy007]

Id wait til morning before you try and help, and when or if you do only take the shell away very carefully not the membrane - if membrane looks dry slightly dampen with warm water and a cotton bud.
This should encourage him to come out on his own, we went through the exact same thing 4 days ago and now have a gorgeous healthy chick. I know its hard to wait so good luck!

 

[dusky]

I peeled away some egg shell around the circumference of the egg- the shell seems fairly thick. It was enough so that if the chick wanted to it could I feel easily kick off the rest of the shell, but it seems like it's in no hurry, and is still just lying in the egg.. I might pick off the rest of the air cell part of the shell after lunch at this rate..

 

[dusky]

Picked off a bit more, but it's still in no mood to get out. The membrane looks really thick and leathery, even when it's moist. Is that normal ? It cries when I pick him up out of the incubator too long (from getting cold?) but once he's back in he's just contentedly peeping still inside the shell. :|

 

[DTRM30]

I hope he/she makes it !

 

[dusky]

I started to peel away more of the shell and membrane, and geez no wonder he made no progress at all. The membrane was extra thick, like double thick ??? The membrane along the edge of the shell was thin and transparent, but the membrane stuck to his poor head was extremely thick, and I peeled it off in layers until I got to a part that was just glued to his head. I had to wet it and tease/pull at it before it came off. Poor thing was crying the whole time. The entire air cell portion of the shell is gone now, but he's just lying in his cramped neck bent egg position. I hope the incubator coming back up to temp and the increase in humidity will strengthen him up. Anyone heard of this happening before?

 

[Zippy007]

Hiya
Hope the chick is doing well now?
This is the same thing that happened to us, we helped in the same way that you have and left her in with top shell off but still in bottom half this made sure if there was any yolk left it would be absorbed into the chick before she was ready to completely come out.
It is now day 7 and shes perfectly fine and the biggest one there. Try to keep her away from any other chicks a bit longer as she will be weaker and they try and peck at them.
Fingers crossed and let us know how your getting on

 

[dusky]

OH boy.. I took off the top, but the membrane was so rubbery at that point (48 hours after initial pip). All the veins were gone so I went ahead and helped him out of the shell completely. He was in there so long he had wry neck, curled toes, straddle leg. He laid on his back with head thrown back and legs out and at all angles and looked dead. I got him out and into the brooder, and he just couldn't right himself so I set to getting him hobbled with chick shoes, and with a sock wrapped around him like a little support nest (not in the sock, but the sock was kind've a wall). He stayed like this for a whole day, his head kept disappearing back and underneath him, I really had no hope for him. 5 days since pip, he can now stand. He still has two slightly off kilter toes but not so badly that he can't walk on them. One leg is still off a little weird and his head still has a slight tilt, but what a comeback kid. He stands funny (as if he was in a surfer pose, the good foot slightly in front, the funky foot slightly turned to the side and his head turned sideways as well). He keeps getting out of his shoes and hobble (can't blame him, he's really miserable in them) so I hope another day or two of this will help even more. I was giving him water with a qtip, and yesterday for the first time he drank by himself when i offered water in a cap. Last night he had a good appetite for the chick start/yogurt/nutritional yeast mash I make for him. He preens himself now too and is acting a little more normal.

Good thing I work from home! :|

 

[Zippy007]

It sounds like he is on the road to recovery all it takes is some time and tlc and fingers crossed for him, i was worried you was going to tell us some bad news, well done and keep us updated on his progress! Have you sexed him?

 

[dusky]

I have no idea how - I think he's a black sex link chick though, no white on the head so.... likely a female ( I always call the chicks he until I'm sure they're shes )?! I have another little black chick that has a white spot on the back of his head. Unfortunately I do have bad news - one of the other chicks must've slipped somehow and had a leg turned out to the side two days ago. I tried hobbling him but he was so upset and sprawled forward I took it off to put on another time. The next afternoon I found him with his head and half his body wedged in the waterer in the corner of their box when I came home from errands, and though he was still alive when I got him out, he was quiet and likely chilled/half drowned and passed away 10 minutes later. I hadn't thought that because of his bad leg he'd lose his balance trying to get a drink. It was a really awful experience and I feel terrible about it.