"Shrink wrap" vs. "Sticky chick"?

[HEChicken]

If one were to do that, the results would be variable based on where in the country they are located. A chicken brooding in Florida will have different readings than a chicken brooding in Arizona or the Colorado Rockies. Add to that, the amount of time each hen stays off the nest varies as well. I have hens who run around clucking like crazy, eating and drinking as fast as they can so they can get back to their nest, while others take a more lackadaisical approach and stop for a dust bath on the way back to the nest. The latter's eggs will have longer to cool than the former's, yet in both cases they will hatch on or about their due date. Likewise, time of year will make a difference. My broodies are most active in spring and early summer but I typically have broody hens non-stop from about March to as late as December. The hens brooding in winter will experience a greater temperature fluctuation and different humidity than those brooding in the warmer months.

For that reason, I take a more lacadaisical approach to my own incubating than some. Rather than be a stickler about temp and humidity, I take a leaf out of the hen's book and realize that their conditions vary widely yet their chicks always hatch, so if I open the incubator and let the temp drop a few degrees here and there while candling, its not going to kill them. Recently I stopped increasing the humidity for hatch and now hatch at the same humidity they are at the whole time they are incubating. Guess what? Not a single sticky or shrink wrapped chick out of three hatches doing it this way!

 

[altair]

If low humidity throughout incubation can cause sticky chicks I wonder why people doing dry hatches (very low humidity) have great results. Gah!

 

[kristip]

Ok so we stocked e incubator pretty full and so I had to remove chicks in two batches as they hatched and their were still eggs in there. I believe this causeway humidity to drop. I had three chicks that were sticky chicks that I helped out the rest of the way...but they are still gummy. Will soak in warm water help get that goo off or what do you suggest? I have a few others in there still that I suspect are shrink wrapped in their eggs.. Sad bummer.

 

[portagee]

(ETA: As I understood it...) If you open the incubator during lockdown, the humidity drops and a pipped chick can become "shrink wrapped."  They cannot turn to complete the zip.

If your humidity is too high during lockdown, the chicks can become "sticky" and cannot turn to complete the zip.


Looking at a chick, how do you know if it is/was sticky or shrink-wrapped?  Is there any practical difference in how these are handled?  I'd like to be able to better trouble-shoot on my next hatch by better understanding the difference.


Thank you for your help!

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THREAD SUMMARY:[/COLOR]

Here's brief summary of what we've discussed.  This doesn't represent a 100% consensus but seems to represent the current majority opinion:

Shrink wrapped: before pipping, both inner and out membranes dry tight around the chick; caused by too little humidity throughout incubation

Sticky chick: after pipping, the liquids dry becoming glue-like followed by concrete-like; caused by too little humidity during lockdown

Wet sticky or Swollen: the chick is swollen with water or simply very wet and sticky; caused by too high humidity throughout incubation

Drowning: the whitish outer membrane is dry while the clearish inner membrane is wet, binding the chick; also caused by too high humidity thoughout incubation


*Chicks experiencing more than one of the extreme conditions can exhibit multiple issues. 

*These same issues can also occur during natural incubation, under a brooding hen.

I've been dealing with that sticky gooey amber looking liquid and the only chicks surviving ate those that hatch out first. I saw you mentioned that high humidity at lock down can cause this. Where should the humidity be st lock down.

 

[portagee]

Also my humidity has been low during the first 18 days. Trying to figure out what I'm doing wrong

 

[portagee]

oh man... i guess i stickied my hatches... i incubated at 25% and locked down at 65% and after pip, they got sticky and stuck... /img/smilies/sad.png i don't know what to do now... my friend (neighbor) is incubating now, gonna see how his hatch goes... i fire up my incubator this weekend... i don't know what to try now...

I just had the exact same problem. Did you figure out what to correct.

 

[portagee]

I have hunted everywhere and can not find my particular situation. I'm so sorry if this was answered in this thread. I think my head is going to explode from so much reading!

Here's my problem: SHIPPED EGGS!

I incubate at 30 and then 60. The last 2 hatches I used paper cartons with cut out bottoms because of severely detached air cells. I tilt 2-3 X per day. My eggs laying in the bator do fine, but the cartoned eggs have the same problem. Bright yellow super glue yolky gunk. The chicks pip and then get dry and cemented in. Every chick that hatched had to be bathed. Only 2 from the 12 or so hatched on their own. I have never had problems like this. Not before shipped eggs that is! I now have eggs in wire holders. The last batch, I realised when the first hatched with this issue I ran and got them out of the paper cartons and tilted them against the walls of the bator. Those chicks weren't as bad. A couple have failed and upon eggtopsy, they were surrounded by this neon yellow yolky gunk. It also appeared they were not evaporating at the bottom of the egg? I have a good friend that also uses the paper carton (we both quite though) and had the same problem.

Do you think this batch with the wire holders will be the same way?
Can someone please shed some light on this? I always toss in a couple of my eggs, layed flat, with all my shipped egg batches and they are always fine. I started doing the vertical setup because the detached cells lead to almost 100% mortality from cells healing on the side of eggs, ect.

TIA!!!!!

We're you able to figure out what you did wrong because I'm having the same problem now. Let me know if you figured anything out because I don't know what to do. Thanks

 

[laurend82891]

Hey guys I need help. I have a chick that popped externally 42 hours ago. It has been trying to unzip for 24. Now the shell is falling off and the membrane is clear and intact. It still can't get out. It is still moving and chirping. What do I do?

 

[janes3girls]

I have a Broody hen sitting on her eggs. 2 eggs have been stepped on and a piece of the shell chipped showing the outer membrane which is white and looks dry . the eggs should have hatched a few days ago. what should I do

 

[rustymurphy]

Thanks for the information I have eggs with a very tough membrane I have helped the chicks out of the shell and it was hard for me to tear membrane membrane seems to be thick too my humidity is between 50 and 60 percent until lock down 70 percent then can you please help me