The Omega Rocks: The Last & Ultimate Barred Plymouth Rock Flock

[The Moonshiner]

Where's the upside down zipped egg? Any chance you can reach it enough with a piece of wire coat hanger or something you can poke through the vent hole and give it a nudge?
I used to do that with the hovabators.

 

[speckledhen]

Where's the upside down zipped egg? Any chance you can reach it enough with a piece of wire coat hanger or something you can poke through the vent hole and give it a nudge?
I used to do that with the hovabators.

It's right at the front next to the wall. I can't really reach through the vent with the divider in there, which partially blocks off any way to reach an object in there. I did that with my Hovabator as well, many times. The egg is turned where I can more easily see the opening and it appears to be a huge, very tired chick. Maybe he/she just needs a rest before a final push. The shell is becoming brittle and is cracked up from the zip toward the air cell end so it really should be able to push the top off soon. I'll keep an eye on it, make sure it's still breathing. I can see the beak, but I really think it might be an extra large chick and may soon need a bit of help because that membrane tends to dry out around the opening after hours of little progress, as you know.

ADDING: The chick is out now. I was sensing it was wearing completely out and I see why. I just quickly pushed the top away from the bottom and it finally popped out. This is Baby Huey if you remember that old cartoon. It was a HUGE chick even for the large egg it was inside of, wow. Generally, a chick should be able to get out of its shell and most say never interfere. The rub here is that these are very valuable to me and I made an exception rather than lose it. The humidity was up to over 70% so it's right back up already after that few seconds of lifting that side of the lid. Many times, a chick should not hatch due to a deformity of some kind that keeps it from escaping easily, but I think this one is fine from the looks of it.

 

[sourland]

Great update, and I think you did the right thing in helping the 'upside down' chick.

 

[speckledhen]

Great update, and I think you did the right thing in helping the 'upside down' chick.

Thank you so much! I really appreciate that. I took a risk in that it may have been stuck for a reason other than size and then, I might have had to put down a chick, but it appears to be just fine, thankfully!

 

[sourland]

I'm not big on helping chicks hatch, but that situation because of positioning called for help in my opinion.

 

[speckledhen]

I'm not big on helping chicks hatch, but that situation because of positioning called for help in my opinion.

i feel the same way and I appreciate someone else with experience such as yourself backing me up on it. All four hatchlings are doing well, two are darn huge chicks!
There is only one egg that has not pipped or hasn't pipped yet, can't really see it well so it may be and I just can't tell.

 

[speckledhen]

Five hatched and six others pipped. The I one could not even see if it was pipped is in the process of zipping. That accounts for all eleven eggs. So, I hope that every one that is pipped makes it out of the shell.

 

[speckledhen]

Six hatched, two zipping, others pipped and resting.

EDIT: Seven hatched, two beginning to zip as of 5:45 p.m.

 

[1muttsfan]

This is all so exciting...

I agree that helping a chick in an incubator where position is the issue would be my exception to not assisting.

 

[speckledhen]

This is also exciting...

I agree that helping a chick in an incubator where position is the issue would be my exception to not assisting.

Thanks, my friend, I appreciate that.
The #9 chick is zipping and #10 is finally widening the pip. #11 has the same pip it did earlier today, was the last to pip so makes sense that it would be behind the others. Looks like this hatch can be deemed successful. Now, I just have to hope I get more pullets than cockerels!