URGENT CHICK HELPOUT

[AltonaAcres]

Please tell me if I did the right thing........I feel sick right now. I had an egg pip later than the rest in the batch. It pipped last night around 4 I think. The pip stayed the same size until around 11 when it got the size of a raisin. The chick put his beak out of the pip, and it was there until now. It was like his beak was stuck out of the shell, and he couldn't get it back in to start zipping. He got less and less active as time went on. I chipped a little around his head but still very little struggle to break free. A little more...a little blood started coming. I know I should have stopped there....and I feel horrible right now, but I chipped a little more away until he was pretty much freed. There is some blood right now, not flowing, just on the membrane. Now he's laying there breathing, resting, not super active.......

 

[CluckNDoodle]

If it stopped bleeding just allow it to rest for now. It's normal for them to take long breaks after pipping to finish absorbing the blood and yolk sac but I've never had one get it's beak stuck so I'm sure I would have tried to free it's beak if it were me too. For future reference, if this ever happens again, always open toward the air cell so you don't nick the internal membrane where the blood vessels are. I hope it hatches ok for you!

 

[AltonaAcres]

He now has breaths that are harder to detect. Very shallow and quick. He did peep to one who had already hatched though. I just feel so cruel. If only I could go back in time and decide to just let him be

 

[AltonaAcres]

Should I remove the healthy one or keep her in there?

 

[AltonaAcres]

I just heard loud cheeping and went to check. He had flipped to one side and then rolled back. At least he is clumsy like a normal chick! He smeared the blood around the incubator so I can't tell if he stopped bleeding or not. Still resting...........will he make it? Will he be a healthy chick?

 

[AltonaAcres]

Last time I did a help out the chick rested for a while and then was fine. There just wasn't blood..........ugh I hate this whole situation

 

[CluckNDoodle]

He now has breaths that are harder to detect. Very shallow and quick. He did peep to one who had already hatched though. I just feel so cruel. If only I could go back in time and decide to just let him be

Should I remove the healthy one or keep her in there?

Aww, I'm so sorry. How long has it been since the other chick hatched? I usually leave them in the incubator long enough to fluff up and I don't open the incubator while there are external pips but if the chick with the bleed is your last chick with an external pip it's probably ok to move the other chick. It's not going to make the situation any harder for it. Hopefully it will be able to rest and recover from the blood loss.

 

[CluckNDoodle]

Last time I did a help out the chick rested for a while and then was fine. There just wasn't blood..........ugh I hate this whole situation

How large it the opening? Can you apply light pressure to the bleed if there is still one? Your description sounds like a lot of blood.

 

[AltonaAcres]

Thank you for your help.........I feel a little better..............the other chick hatched around noon. The sickly one is responding to her chirps, so maybe it's a good thing to keep her in? Yes, the helpout was the last to hatch. Still resting, tiny breaths, but will move it's head around occasionally.

 

[AltonaAcres]

Last helpout (2 years ago) the chick had made a hole the size of a grape and stayed there for a day, started smelling, membrane started getting dry. The helpout chick is out of his egg completely right now. I don't think it's bleeding. Not a ton of blood but enough to worry you.