Zipping long ways around the egg?

[thisfarmerswife]

We got 12 eggs from a nearby chicken breeder and 9 were good on day 18. Today is day 21, we woke up to one ameraucana already out, she's dried off and we took her out and put her in the brooder as instructed in the Storey's Guide to Raising Chickens. A second ameraucana just hatched out and is drying off.

A white egg, not sure what variety, has been pipped for 24 hours and is making very little progress. She finally started zipping but it's going longways around the shell instead of the short way around the round end. We can see her (ha ha, his?) little beak and she is very verbal / noisy with the cheeping. I can't find anything on zipping the long way around... do you think this means she's stuck? How long should I watch/give her before trying to help?

Lastly, should we really take out each chick as they dry? I'm dying every time, because it releases all the humidity. But they are bowling all the other eggs over as they flop around too, so I'm not sure. It seems like it's going to be a draggy hatch. Some are quick and others pipped yesterday and are taking much longer.

 

[chicken-whisperer]

I have found that if an egg is getting turned around it makes it hard for them to pip. Your egg pipping sideways may have been moved. I use a deviled egg dish to keep the eggs steady in the incubator and a sponge to replace moisture after removing the chicks to a brooder.

 

[thisfarmerswife]

Okay, so at this point, that egg has been rocked and rocked by the two chicks that have already hatched. Would it be worth the loss in humidity, when we remove this chick that is currently drying, to stabilize the other eggs, pip side up, and place a sponge inside?

 

[thisfarmerswife]

And, should we maybe help the one that is zipping wrong way around?

 

[chicken-whisperer]

I do help my "saran wrapped" babies and put them in a brooder with a non slick floor as they are prone to splay leg problems. Sometimes a little warm water assists in loosening the stuck bits. Often these rescue chicks take a while to catch up and sometimes dont make it. I find that the newbies prefer a brooder at 90 or even 85 degrees rather than leaving them in the incubator. I put each ones beak into the water dish to get them started drinking asap.

 

[thisfarmerswife]

Okay, we helped the one that was zipping wrong way around and he/she is doing great. Just about all dried off, and really vigorous.

I have another saran wrapped one ... but I'll make a new entry.