Twin egg ready to hatch, advice please?

[Jynestia]

So when I set all my eggs in the home made incubator I kind of put in a variety just to see what happened. I seriously didn't expect even one hatch. I had planned at the end if they didn't hatch I would dissolve the shell and make a morbid gift of preserved fetal chickens for a friend (she likes stuff like that).

One of the eggs I included was a double yolk, it wqs just a "can this be done" thing.

It was more a test of how precise you need to be to get a hatch and can I hatch eggs with less than $20 in materials instead of buying a $100 incubator.

Well we have two baby chicks hatched!

And hopes for more on the way. One of the twins pipped! Unfortunately a rather large piece of she'll broke off when it did and the membrane is exposed. It still has blood in it, so I turned the egg so it wasn't directly under the light and raised the humidity, and dabbed. Little water on the membrane.

These little guys are going to need help. I'm giving them until I get home from work in 14 hours from now to make more progress on their own and absorb their blood and yolks.

Any advice.for helping these little guys? I read that the one on the wrong end of the egg would need help pipping, but thays the one that pipped first! It's beak is free and clear.

 

[AmyLynn2374]

So when I set all my eggs in the home made incubator I kind of put in a variety just to see what happened. I seriously didn't expect even one hatch. I had planned at the end if they didn't hatch I would dissolve the shell and make a morbid gift of preserved fetal chickens for a friend (she likes stuff like that).

One of the eggs I included was a double yolk, it wqs just a "can this be done" thing.

It was more a test of how precise you need to be to get a hatch and can I hatch eggs with less than $20 in materials instead of buying a $100 incubator.

Well we have two baby chicks hatched!



And hopes for more on the way. One of the twins pipped! Unfortunately a rather large piece of she'll broke off when it did and the membrane is exposed. It still has blood in it, so I turned the egg so it wasn't directly under the light and raised the humidity, and dabbed. Little water on the membrane.

These little guys are going to need help. I'm giving them until I get home from work in 14 hours from now to make more progress on their own and absorb their blood and yolks.

Any advice.for helping these little guys? I read that the one on the wrong end of the egg would need help pipping, but thays the one that pipped first! It's beak is free and clear.

Twins seldom make it to hatch but when they do they most definitely need assistance. I personally have never heard of any hatching on their own. The best thing you can do is read the assisted hatching thread here on BYC and there is a video on youtube of a woman helping her "twins" hatch.

When I assist, I use a pair of tweezers and always have q-tips and water by my side. I slowly chip away the shell in a "zipping" fashion and wet the membrane to check for veining. If no prominent veining I will also seperate the membrane. I continue in this fashion until I hit prominent veining and then I moisten the membrane and replace the egg in the bator giving it more time for the vascular system to shut down. Then in another hour or so I repeat the process.

And congrats on the hatchers.

 

[Jynestia]

Thanks! I looked at the walkthrough but not the twin hatch. I didn't know if there was any special consideration for twins other than they'll need help.

When I wetted the membrane this morning there was slight veining so I expect when I get home this evening it will be about ready. It can breathe so I'm sure it will be ok until then. I'm hoping the other pips. I'm a little worried that one might be ready and the other isn't and what affect it's twin coming out will have.

 

[RubyNala97]

Congrats on the hatches! What I try to remind myself of what I've read in the assisted guide to hatching, is that as long as the chick can get oxygen and breath then there is nothing urgent! They can sit there all day because they have the yolk absorbed for nutrients, are breathing oxygen and won't get dehydrated as long as they still have the membrane around them. I try to wait till at least 24 hours before assisting. Remember that wrong end pip is both the internal and external pip, so it needs time to finish absorbing all those blood vessels. I would definitely recommend watching the video on YouTube of the successful twin assist. Just be prepared that one chick may have abnormalities or both (or they could both be perfectly healthy), just prepare yourself. And I agree with how Amy does the assisting above. I'll just add that I use bacitracin on a q-tip to moisten the membrane (after using water to check for blood vessels) and I keep a small cup of corn starch handy in case there is any blood. If you see blood, it's important to stop the bleeding immediately, and then I give them several more hours. Please update when you can. I've seen so many posts on twins but this is the first with the chick actually externally pipping! So exciting!

 

[Jynestia]

Really? Wow. I considered myself lucky that even one of my normal eggs hatched.

My partner checked the eggs at lunch. The pipped twin seems to be ok and it's blood vessels that were visible receeded. The twin on the air side has not externally pipped and I don't know if it has internally. He wetted the membrane and now they won't be touched again for 4 more hours when he will wet it again. 3 hours after that I will get home and see if it's time to help it out some. It has time to sit.

A 3rd normal egg pipped between leaving for work and lunch! There might be a 3rd baby by the time I'm home.

 

[Jynestia]

The twins didn't make it. I came home this evening to assist the hatched since one pipped on its own, but it was too late.

Both chicks were fully developed and ready. The one that pipped had no active membrane blood vessels and absorbed it's yolk. They both were in hatching position, but neither by the air cell.

The one that didn't pip had not absorbed its yolk and had blood around it. It's yolk was in its siblings foot. It appears when trying to hatch it crushed the yolk of the other one.

Green liquid poured out of the shell when I got to the one that died first. I believe that after it accidentally squished its egg mates yolk the egg mates yolk started to rot and poisoned the strong one.

I wish I had known about it sooner. The weaker one also wasn't able to perfectly position and had a deformed foot. Had the one not gotten a squished yolk both could have been viable I think.

I have a sad. -.-

I took pictures for sharing more information about twin developments but they're graphic. It shows how they were positioned in the egg though and I thought that might be useful. It also shows the deformed foot.

Both little babies will be preserved in a jar for my friends collection.

 

[RubyNala97]

The twins didn't make it. I came home this evening to assist the hatched since one pipped on its own, but it was too late.

Both chicks were fully developed and ready. The one that pipped had no active membrane blood vessels and absorbed it's yolk. They both were in hatching position, but neither by the air cell.

The one that didn't pip had not absorbed its yolk and had blood around it. It's yolk was in its siblings foot. It appears when trying to hatch it crushed the yolk of the other one.

Green liquid poured out of the shell when I got to the one that died first. I believe that after it accidentally squished its egg mates yolk the egg mates yolk started to rot and poisoned the strong one.

I wish I had known about it sooner. The weaker one also wasn't able to perfectly position and had a deformed foot. Had the one not gotten a squished yolk both could have been viable I think.

I have a sad. -.-

I took pictures for sharing more information about twin developments but they're graphic. It shows how they were positioned in the egg though and I thought that might be useful. It also shows the deformed foot.

Both little babies will be preserved in a jar for my friends collection.

I don't think that you were to late. I don't think they would have made it either way. There were probably lots of deeper things going on then you couldnt see. The second twin probably couldn't breath but you would have no way to know exactly where it's beak was behind the shell. And if the yolk wasn't absorbed then it wasn't ready yet! I'd like to see the pics. Can you on them to me? Sorry it wasn't successful.

 

[Jynestia]

I can send the pics, but it might be a few days.

I know the one wasn't ready, what I'm saying is I think it died a few days before the one that pipped and I think the one that pipped accidentally did the yolk crushing.

 

[AmyLynn2374]

The twins didn't make it. I came home this evening to assist the hatched since one pipped on its own, but it was too late.

Both chicks were fully developed and ready. The one that pipped had no active membrane blood vessels and absorbed it's yolk. They both were in hatching position, but neither by the air cell.

The one that didn't pip had not absorbed its yolk and had blood around it. It's yolk was in its siblings foot. It appears when trying to hatch it crushed the yolk of the other one.

Green liquid poured out of the shell when I got to the one that died first. I believe that after it accidentally squished its egg mates yolk the egg mates yolk started to rot and poisoned the strong one.

I wish I had known about it sooner. The weaker one also wasn't able to perfectly position and had a deformed foot. Had the one not gotten a squished yolk both could have been viable I think.

I have a sad. -.-

I took pictures for sharing more information about twin developments but they're graphic. It shows how they were positioned in the egg though and I thought that might be useful. It also shows the deformed foot.

Both little babies will be preserved in a jar for my friends collection.

Sorry to hear that. That's why most people are morally against incubating double yolkers. It's considered starting a life (lives) that are doomed to thrive. Every once in a while there is a successful twin hatch, but it is rare. I was hoping this would be one. Your deductions sound very plausible. Not a whole lot of room in the egg to move, so I woud imagine busting yolks and such wouldn't be hard to do. RIP babies.

 

[MarlyMonster]

Not sure if OP is still an active user but I’d love to see those pictures if you have them? I’m currently doing a research study on double yolked eggs and would love to see the possible issues I might encounter