Shrink wrapped chick!!

[Justagoose_18]

So I am hatching a large batch of eggs at the moment, and have had all sorts of problems. From one chick hatching with an unabsorbed yolk, to another hatching through the wrong end. Right now, I have opened the bator to transfer around 1/3 of the chicks to a different one, just so that they aren’t running over each other so much. Some of them are also much older than the others and I don’t want to dehydrate them. The humidity only dropped to 69% before I got it back up, but before I took some chicks out, I noticed that one egg had pipped through the wrong end again, but had made a massive hole. The chicks had turned him over so that the hole he made was facing down, and now that I can see better, I feel like he’s very shrink wrapped. I noticed it before but not to such an extent because of so many chicks- they were sitting on his egg and just crowding it in general. I’ll include some images. Should I go into help? His beak seems stuck in the leathery membrane, and the outer membrane is like paper.
I have assisted before successfully, I just don’t know if I should help, however, it seems very very bad.

 

[Justagoose_18]

There are also no visible blood membranes, but I also know that he may have an unabsorbed yolk. His breathing is very laborious. Just thinking that I could maybe moisten his membranes with some coconut oil, and then put him in a box in the incubator just to help? Idk
There are three other eggs that are pipped and a few that haven’t pipped yet. Yesterday was day 21.
I am also just noticing that he tried to push himself out. Almost half the shell is off, but vertically. He is stuck!

 

[Mother of Chicks]

Hey - I am sorry this is happening. I don't have any experience in hatching as I am currently on day 16 and reading/absorbing all the information. However, this article is gold for assisted hatching. It sounds to me like you might have to intervene, in which case you might want to read this https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/step-by-step-guide-to-assisted-hatching.64660/

Please update us on your shrink wrapper - and good luck!

 

[Justagoose_18]

Hey - I am sorry this is happening. I don't have any experience in hatching as I am currently on day 16 and reading/absorbing all the information. However, this article is gold for assisted hatching. It sounds to me like you might have to intervene, in which case you might want to read this https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/step-by-step-guide-to-assisted-hatching.64660/

Please update us on your shrink wrapper - and good luck!

Thank you! I think I’m going to go in there!

 

[Mother of Chicks]

Thank you! I think I’m going to go in there!

I have my fingers crossed for you - just do what you can armed with the best knowledge you can get - that's all we can do. Best of luck!

 

[Justagoose_18]

I have my fingers crossed for you - just do what you can armed with the best knowledge you can get - that's all we can do. Best of luck!

I may wait an hour, see how it’s going. The article you linked is actually the one I used last time I helped! And it really is so informative. Thank you for linking it, as now I feel I should wait a bit more. Although the chick is malpositioned, it would have been out if the membrane had not dried. I do not want to risk the other chicks! However, I will be keeping a close eye on it. I know that it has not been over 24 hours in this position, maybe around 8? So I’m going to wait it out and see if it’s going to be ok. I’ll keep you posted!

 

[Justagoose_18]

Here are some *hopefully* clearer pictures.
I feel like I have to help. There’s no way he can push out or twist. I may just soften his membrane and see if there are veins, which I’m pretty sure there aren’t, clear out the space he has already removed eggshell off of, and then place him back in the incubator in a box- and then raise humidity.
If I put a wet paper towel around him, will he chill? The chicks have already rolled him over again.

 

[Justagoose_18]

So I have waited until now. Two of the three pips have hatched, and the one left has a small pip that hasn’t expanded. I’m going to go in, oil the membrane and try to gently remove it, and put him back in the bator in a small box. The humidity is 83% so I’m not scared of opening the bator rn.
Wish me luck
I have noticed that he is pushing SO hard that the egg has a crack perpendicular to his hole. I hope everything goes well

 

[Justagoose_18]

And omg! One of the chicks is a naked neck! Or just has a weird bald spot?

 

[Mother of Chicks]

Gotta love a naked neck - or an underdog - whichever way around. Have you started the assist?