To assist or not to assist,that is the question?

[Vconde09]

Did the float test this morning and the egg floated around in a circle!water was completely still!what should I do?!today is day 24! Should I assist or try to open the egg or leave it till tomorrow and interven tomorrow?

 

[LynnaePB]

Do you know what the incubation temperature was? 24 days is pretty late but if it was incubated at below 99 degrees they might be a little late and still be OK. Did other eggs hatch on time and this one is lagging behind or is this the only egg you have that is due to hatch? Did you count the day they started incubation as day 1 or day 0?

I've incubated a handful of times and my little ones always came out by day 22-23, mostly they hatch out day 20-21 for me, I have heard of chicks hatching as late as day 25 though if temperatures were low. Can you hear anything when you hold the egg up to your ear (peeping or a tapping/clicking type sound)? Have you candled and seen any movement or if the baby has internally pipped into the air cell? I've heard the float test doesn't always work very well so it would be good to find out if there are any other signs of life.

 

[Vconde09]

The temperature has been at 99 the whole time and all my other chicks hatched right on time.this is the only one lagging behind and the only type of life I have seen that I put the egg in one way and will be completely facing a different way and no one has messed with it!i have candled and don’t see movement or hear anything.so I am at the point of do I crack it open or pip it and see what happens...

 

[LynnaePB]

If that's the case the little one is awfully late, I'm a fairly hands on hatcher so I don't mind assisting. If it were me I'd make a small viewing window into the top of the air cell so I could see what was going on inside.

This article has some great advice on how to assist (warning it does have some pics of babies that didn't make it) https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/step-by-step-guide-to-assisted-hatching.64660/

It should give you a good idea on how to open the egg so you won't hurt the baby inside. Just make sure you start with the air cell, if the baby is alive and you crack anything else you could hit a blood vessel and the baby could bleed to death. At 24 days and with all the other babies already hatched be prepared, it's likely your little one may have already passed. I hope it hasn't though and you can successfully assist!

 

[Pyxis]

I would start with a small safety hole and see what you see, and maybe widen it just a bit from there and look for movement. If you can't see movement of the chick under the membrane, it has passed

I'll link this assisted hatch article with instructions for the safety hole. It's different than the one that's linked above, which I personally find to be disorganized and really hard to read and follow. This one might work better for you if you're like me in that regard.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/guide-to-assisted-hatching-for-all-poultry.72886/

 

[Vconde09]

Unfortunately the chick was dead..I’m a little heart broken.I guess 6 out of 12 chicks my first hatch isn’t bad.

 

[LynnaePB]

I'm so sorry to hear your little one passed, sometimes they just don't make it even when you do everything right.

Congratulations on hatching 6 out of 12 your first time though, that is definitely something to be proud of!

 

[Vconde09]

I had two three eggs that wasn’t even fertile then two that stopped developing in the first week then my last one passed away.i just wish I knew what happened!it made an internal pip but never finished adsorbing the yolk or anything ..but thank you!

 

[cmom]

Sometimes that will happen. It is just nature. I look at it that maybe it wasn't meant to be. Most hatch out fine and a few may not. Good luck and have fun with your chicks.

 

[Vconde09]

Thank you and we are!