Urgent Hatching Questions

[WoofMeowCluck]

Welsummer/marans mix. Lock down was Monday, hatch date today. By 6 AM this morning 6 had hatched (one cull, crooked neck, gasping).

Three more try to hatch, membrane is hard, thick, white like paper. I tried to help, could peel shell off very easily but membrane stuck hard on them. They died.

Using an R-Com 20, humidity set at 40% until lock down, then 65%.

I wrapped pipped eggs in a damp paper towel, it raised the hunidity to 76%. The chicks are peeping loudly and no progress. I can see the membrane where they pipped, it's hard and white.

Is there anything I can do to help them?? It breaks my heart to hear them peeping and stuck in their shells.

THANK YOU!

 

[cashdl]

I would run warm water and get my finger wet, wet the membrane and gently peel it off them. Keep an eye out for blood veins that have not dried up yet. When you get to one, stop, put the chick back in the incubator and wait a 1/2 hr or so, then start again.

Lanae

 

[WoofMeowCluck]

I tried that on the last one, the membrane is so thick and hard I can't see through it to know if there is a vein or not. I tried wetting the membrane too but it is still too thick. I'm going to try anyway. I can't stand them peeping so hard to get out.

What the heck causes the membrane to do that? I've never had this happen before.

 

[justtoni44]

HI,
I may be to late in responding.hope not.
I wwet a wash cloth in warm water and wrap the egg in it.
It always peels off like a hard boiled egg..may take a few mintes to absorb...
So sorry this happened to you.
Good Luck

 

[WoofMeowCluck]

I hit a vein immediately

I wrapped each of them in a wet-ish paper towel and will wait a while. One egg isn't even pipped and it's peeping like crazy. I feel soooo bad!

I've only hatched a few times but never had this happen and am going crazy trying to figure out what may have caused this.

THANK YOU for the suggestions, I really appreciate it. I'm open to hearing any and all suggestions!!!
Annie

 

[cashdl]

I think humidity may have been high. I usually incubate at 24% and hatch at 45% and only get that rubbery membrane when I have had humidity spikes.

Patience is key. If they are peeping they are alive. If they have pipped they can breath, so keep a moist towl around them and wait a couple of hours. If you hit a vein so quickly, it means they have not absorbed the blood in the vessels. It can take a little while.

Lanae

 

[WoofMeowCluck]

Quote:
Thanks for responding. Does humidity matter depending on the brand of incubator? I've read so many things about humidity - they are always higher than what I do. It's so confusing. I never want this to happen again.

 

[cashdl]

It probably does matter depending on the incubator and maybe where you live. I have LG's ( styrofoam) and they work great, but I live in Northern CA.

Lanae

 

[WoofMeowCluck]

I found a thread I need to read about Intervention!

In trying to help two more I hit veins and they died. Later I opened them up all the way and there was still some yolk sack. I think I was helping too early thinking all of the chicks should hatch close to the same time and there was trouble with the membrane. Hard lesson.

I helped one more, it's head was out but the membrane was dry around it - a little warm water on it and that baby shot out of the shell withough finishing the zip.

There were 2 more eggs, both peeping loudly but no pip yet. I chose to leave them alone, remembering the yolk sack of the other two. At 6 AM they both pipped, zipped and were out, start to finish, in about 15 minutes.

We had a power outage for several hours on day 12 or 13 of incubation. I put a blanket over the incubator, the temp dropped 10 degrees but the humidity went up to 70-something. Maybe that had something to do with it? Besides that, I think I had a lot to do with things that went wrong - "helping to early" and I should know by now that all chickes don't develope and then hatch all at the same time. There are early hatchers and some that take a little more time because THEY aren't quite ready just because the others are - and me too. Very long night, thank you all for your help. I have a lot of reading to do so hopefully I can prevent this in the future, and learn when to keep my hands off the eggs!

Again, Thank you all!!!

 

[cmom]

I agree with the other posts. If a chick is stuck, wrap the egg in a moist paper towel or wash cloth and wait for several minutes. I don't really know if it matters what kind of incubator you have or not. I have LG's too (styrofoam) and mine work great too. Now I use a cabinet incubator for incubating but I also have been doing staggered hatches and using the LG's as hatchers. I do keep my humidity around 40% to 50% during incubation and 65% to 70% during lock down. I am thinking that maybe you hygrometer is off and may need to be calibrated.

Here is a great link on calibrating a hygrometer.
http://exoticpets.about.com/od/herpresources/ss/hygrometer.htm