So... Remember my masacre?
Turns out it was about 21 days back...
Kid says "chick in incubator......super fluffy..."
Anyway, I was so bummed about 1. Loosing all those breeders and chickens and 2. Hatching eggs so late in the season and in suck a tiny number
That I incubated half heartedly... Rotated eggs at least twice a day and never eyeballed the humidity. I had put two fresh eggs in, and one fridge egg of unknown age.
Anyway, two were fertile... First hatched ... I hadn't stopped rotating and I hadn't increased humidity or taken out the rails which can make hatching difficult and can cause chicks to get stuck.
I looked and the second fertile egg had pipped and unzipped about 1/4 then gotten stuck... Bit of chick showing through hole was nice and super fluffy
so who knows how lobg he had been like that.
Anyway, I helped him out and yep, he was "done". Zero blood in membrane, navel totally sealed and dry... So maybe he had been stuck for a day, possibly two?
Already hatched chick not yet hungry or thirsty so must be less than three days old.
Anyway.... Stuck chick has funky bent toes -sigh- I am guessing from humidity and/or hatching not genetic. I taped them up and tossed him back in the incubator.