We are currently incubating a dozen or so chickens of various types. We have one chicken in particualar that piped 5-25 and still has not hatched. HE appears to be stuck in some sort of goo-like membrane. We are VERY inexpeirienced chicken people as this is our first batch of them What should we Do?
If he's still struggling to get out, you might be able to help him by chipping away a bit of the shell, but it might be better for your flock's genetics to just let him die if he can't get out on his own. Neil Wigley
Your humidity during lockdown might be too low and the membranes are drying up before the chick can get clear of them. Try to increase the humidity for the other eggs, but for this little one who is stuck, take it out, add drops of warmed water to the membrane and try to re-wet it for him. There are so many good threads and here a very good "sticky post" at the top of hatching & incubation section of the forum, on how to help a chick out. https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/9316/intervention-helping-your-chicks-hatch When it's our fault through our lack of experience, it's not right to let a chick die and assume it's their fault they can't get out. It's probably a perfectly healthy chick but its not expected to be able to free itself from glued down membranes because their artificial "hen" didn't get the humidity right. Hope you're able to help it out and save it's life.
