Sticky Chicks

[AshleySGM]

Out of the 6 eggs put in lockdown Sunday, 5 chicks hatched. All of them though have some sticky hard egg contents on them. The 3 earlier ones all fluffed up enough to move to the brooder and look like they'd manage ok without much assistance but the last 2 got much more saturated. I took a wash cloth and warm water along with baby wipes to clean those two off last night and put them back in the incubator to dry overnight but they don't look any different this AM. What is the best way to clean them up?

 

[50-45-1]

Its probably the humidity in the incubator. I would take them out and put them under the heat lamp with the others.

 

[AshleySGM]

I just moved them, I figured the incubator at this point wasn't helping. The last one is so dry and crusty. Hard as a rock and it seems to be struggling to walk so it's going to have to have a bath.

 

[50-45-1]

I have had that happen with the last chicks to hatch.
Not sure about washing them, but make sure they dont get chilled.
They have had a rough start, make sure they get some quick chick in there water.

 

[AshleySGM]

I bathed it. I wound up starting with a bowl and just a drop of soap and wound up in the sink. All that stuff just slothed off and I held it under a heat lamp for a while on a towel to try to dry it some. Once it was just damp I moved it to the brooder. It's already fluffed up half way and looks better than the others even, but it was by far the worse to start with. I don't plan to bath the others, they're all doing good so I don't think it's necessary.

 

[AshleySGM]

It's little legs were super glued bent so I very gently rubbed them with a drop of soap and got that grime off and it can stand up normally now. It even had a piece of shell glued to it's belly but with a drop of soap it came right off. I'm glad I did it.

 

[50-45-1]

Im so glad!
I will remember this for the next time it happens to me.
Thanks for sharing!
They say to increse the humidity twards hatching time, then with each chick that hatches i think that adds mode humidity, and the last chicks that hatch can not dry out like the first ones. I have had it happen to me many times.
Congrulatons on your chicks!

 

[AshleySGM]

I definitely agree. I had the humidity about perfect for the first ones, but with each chick it climbed. Then with so many pipped or hatching, I was afraid to open it for fear of them drying out.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Out of the 6 eggs put in lockdown Sunday, 5 chicks hatched. All of them though have some sticky hard egg contents on them. The 3 earlier ones all fluffed up enough to move to the brooder and look like they'd manage ok without much assistance but the last 2 got much more saturated. I took a wash cloth and warm water along with baby wipes to clean those two off last night and put them back in the incubator to dry overnight but they don't look any different this AM. What is the best way to clean them up?

I think might be a sign humidity was possibly too high during incubation and that was albumin that dried like concrete...
http://naturalchickenkeeping.blogspot.com/2013/08/shrink-wrapped-or-stickey-chicks-why.html

Curious... what color were they eggs and where did you set your humidity during the first 18 days?