Tipped the incubator over at 21 days

[Slothinc]

I had one chick hatch that appears to have wry neck. I am treating with vitamins to bring it out of it, but I am not overly hopeful. Yesterday/last night two more chicks hatched. They appear healthy, happy, and I will remove them from the incubator later today. I’m holding off because the egg with the big dent that I had VERY little hope for…. Well it’s trying to hatch. The dent/big crack is at the wrong end of the egg for such a thing, any tell tale signs that I will likely need to assist?

If the chick is working on unzipping (even if it is just working a larger hole in the same area if it it unable to regularly zip) for more than 1 hour, help it for sure. But if it is working it’s way around and making progress, allow it to continue on its own.

If you need to help, use blunt tweezers or your fingers to break off small pieces of shell continuing around the shell at the zip line. You can also chip off the pieces at the top of the shell (covering the air cell area). Make sure any membrane is pushed back from the head. Then when the top is removed from the egg, put it back in the incubator and allow the chick to push its way out on its own.

 

[hollandhens24]

If the chick is working on unzipping (even if it is just working a larger hole in the same area if it it unable to regularly zip) for more than 1 hour, help it for sure. But if it is working it’s way around and making progress, allow it to continue on its own.

If you need to help, use blunt tweezers or your fingers to break off small pieces of shell continuing around the shell at the zip line. You can also chip off the pieces at the top of the shell (covering the air cell area). Make sure any membrane is pushed back from the head. Then when the top is removed from the egg, put it back in the incubator and allow the chick to push its way out on its own.

Baby was shrink wrapped and had zipped as far as it could before I intervened. Very unsurprising considering the amount of airflow allowed by the giant dent! It went as smoothly as one could hope for with an assist!

I appreciate your help very much!

 

[gimmie birdies]

That is scary. I had my incubator in a low traffic up stairs closet last year, my old dog who is 14 now, had a the runs, decided he wanted to do a sneaky wet poo on the rug in that closet so he would not get in trouble. He knocked over a dz or so shipped eggs I had from another state, (plus a dz. from local feed store.) I think they were on day 14. 2 feed store eggs made it, and 3 shipped ones, but one of the shipped eggs died after hatching. We now have a gate on the stairs.

 

[hollandhens24]

That is scary. I had my incubator in a low traffic up stairs closet last year, my old dog who is 14 now, had a the runs, decided he wanted to do a sneaky wet poo on the rug in that closet so he would not get in trouble. He knocked over a dz or so shipped eggs I had from another state, (plus a dz. from local feed store.) I think they were on day 14. 2 feed store eggs made it, and 3 shipped ones, but one of the shipped eggs died after hatching. We now have a gate on the stairs.

It is SO scary and the guilt is definitely there. So far the little suckers are more resilient than I would have expected because I have 4/9 hatched and am giving the rest more time considering how late these are hatching… I think today is day 24. Mine was on a stand in a corner behind the couches I was trying to peek for pips with my phone flashlight in the early morning hours and pressed down on one side of the stand with too much weight. I was able to catch them, but the eggs piled up, the humidity spiked, yada yada….