Chick emerged from shell too soon- how to help?

[MichelleBelle]

My chicks weren't due until tomorrow, but I had 2 fully formed and healthy chicks hatch yesterday and when I woke up this AM I found another chick had zipped fully. I watched the chick hatch out of its shell through the window but noticed that while it was doing so it kept making a movement almost like it was swallowing (I haven't seen the other hatching chicks do this). When it burst out of its shell it laid on its side and continued this drinking movement. I looked at the shell remnants, and there seems to be more fluid than I've observed with the other hatchlings, and there is definitely a blood vessel with blood attached to the remnants of the shell. This makes me suspect the chick emerged too quickly. Should I just keep my hands off and watch through the incubator window, or should I scoop the baby up into a cup or similar to keep it immobilized while it absorbs the remainder of what's in the shell? It's a strong chick, not sure it would stay in anything other than a tall cup... Thanks for your advice.

 

[MichelleBelle]

I just peeked in again, and he's dragged his shell to the corner of the incubator and is resting with his head on top of another egg. Seems stable to me; I think I'll leave him be.

 

[Stac76]

How is your chick doing? I had one hatched early yesterday, his eyes were still sealed shut. He is very malnutritioned. Also, it looks like a sore on his stomach where the cord was attached, I don't know what this is. I don't know what happened to him while he was developing. I dried him off in the incubator then gave him sugar water and broke up some soft uncooked peas. He seemed glad to have it. Got him under a heat lamp. Hope he pulls through.

 

[RubyNala97]

I just peeked in again, and he's dragged his shell to the corner of the incubator and is resting with his head on top of another egg. Seems stable to me; I think I'll leave him be.

Was the yolk fully absorbed? Is the naval area attached to the shell by an umbilical cord? If so, I would cut the cord so he doesn’t accidentally pull open the naval area. I’ve had a chick hatch that had to much fluid in the egg and had swallowed the fluid. The chick only lasted a couple days. Once you handle the chick, listen to his lungs and see if you hear any type of clicking sound when he’s breathing. Also, that fluid can be very sticky...does the chick look like he’s not drying off or is his fluff on his body stiff and hard?

 

[Stac76]

The chick seems to be getting a little better, he has opened his eyes, standing on his own and eating food. He is a little wobbly. He does look greasy, but I think it was the yolk on him that dried. Umbilical cord is gone and the wound seems to be drying out. I hope the more he will eat the better he will become. I am new at hatching eggs. Do you have any advise on what kind of vitamins or antibiotics to give him to help him out? Thank you!

 

[MichelleBelle]

How is your chick doing? I had one hatched early yesterday, his eyes were still sealed shut. He is very malnutritioned. Also, it looks like a sore on his stomach where the cord was attached, I don't know what this is. I don't know what happened to him while he was developing. I dried him off in the incubator then gave him sugar water and broke up some soft uncooked peas. He seemed glad to have it. Got him under a heat lamp. Hope he pulls through.

The chick I originally wrote this post about is doing just fine. After some more rest in the incubator, the cord dried out and I clipped it from the shell. Chick developed normally.

I did however have some additional chicks hatch way too early- and they sadly didn't make it. Those chicks not only hadn't fully absorbed their yolks, but also hadn't completed the process of the intestines being drawn inside the abdominal cavity.

That was my first time incubating eggs, and it was definitely a learning process. I'm trying a second batch that are expected to start hatching this upcoming Sunday. This time, I won't add any additional water to increase the humidity (I run 48-49% without any added water due to the high humidity in my area) until lockdown. I reduced the number of eggs to allow more space for hatchlings to move around a bit without knocking over their incubator mates.

The chick seems to be getting a little better, he has opened his eyes, standing on his own and eating food. He is a little wobbly. He does look greasy, but I think it was the yolk on him that dried. Umbilical cord is gone and the wound seems to be drying out. I hope the more he will eat the better he will become. I am new at hatching eggs. Do you have any advise on what kind of vitamins or antibiotics to give him to help him out? Thank you!

You could try giving some chick probiotics and vitamin supplement available at your local farm supply store (Tractor Supply, Orscheln's etc.) Are you considering antibiotics for the healing wound near the umbilical cord? Or antibiotic supplemented chick feed starter? Is there any reason you suspect the wound may be infected, or are you thinking to prevent infection?

 

[Spartan22]

@TxToxDoc is your incubator running a little too warm? One reason why they’re hatching too early? My chicks normally starts pipping and hatching @day 20 and 21 my humidity @46% for 19 days and @65% on lockdown. I’d been having 85-90% hatching rate, two weeks ago hatched 24 out of 26 eggs and just a day or so 6 out of 7. Hope your next batch of hatching do better

 

[MichelleBelle]

I think you are right @Spartan22 - I forgot to mention that the temp was set at 100.4 for my first batch of eggs. I had read that the range of acceptable temperatures was 99 to 102, and thought 100.4 seemed nice and middle of the road. But what I didn't appreciate was that those higher temps are for still air incubators, and I'm running one with a fan. So I've reduced it to 99.5 this go round, as I have since learned that like you mentioned, higher temps can lead to early hatching. I didn't learn as much about the incubation process as I should have the first go round. I was just so eager to jump in and get started, and my hastiness led to some hatch rate reducing errors.

 

[Spartan22]

Ha ha, be careful hatching is addictive. I was debating to hatch more eggs since I got great stock (breed) of Marans but afraid my wife will kick me to the curb, she’s been very nice to tolerate humming incubators in our living room I don’t want to chance it. This year I’ve hatched 5x already and it’s so addicting to see new life coming out of those beautiful eggs. It was a total fluke that I got into hatching when I didn’t even know our eggs were fertile this spring but lo and behold it was and extremely viable.

 

[Stac76]

My duck started doing on these eggs, and one of the chickens was hitting the eggs so I moved them into the incubator halfway through the sitting process. The temp stayed at 99.6 and humidity at 66 percent.