4m x 3m Omlet pen, cube, new auto door still boxed and coop light

[likeabalalaika]

Well, it's D-Day and three of the pekin eggs are bang on cue, They'd pipped by 7am this morning, not not much progress since then, just peeping less and less and beaks sticking out of the egg. None of them have moved at all from the pipped area and the membranes were dry and tough as old boots, despite the RH being 65%. So an hour ago I popped a warm soaked sponge in with them which seems to have dampened the membranes considerably but there's still not much progress. I think I've messed up the humidity levels at some point during incubation and now they're too big to get out of their shells. It's been nearly 13 hours now since they pipped

 

I know we're supposed to let them get on with it and if they don't hatch, they don't hatch but I don't think I'd forgive myself if I didn't help if hope was running out for them. About an hour ago I started unzipping the shell and membrane of one of the chicks and thank god there was no bleeding and the yolk had been absorbed. That chick is nearly out, just the tip of the egg still on as I don't want to rupture the chick's back attachment to the egg. They all seem very weak and I feel so miserable as I've let them down and maybe I shouldn't have helped them at all because I'll just be prolonging this discomfort for them. I really don't know what to do now. The incubator is getting quieter and quieter and I think I made a mistake in thinking that I could cope with situations like this. I dread to peek in at them and finding them dead. They're so dear.

 

I would really appreciate your advice right now. Has anyone else had an experience like this? Should I help the other two or just wait and see now?

 

Thank you so much. Laura xxxx

[WitchHazel]

Hi Laura

 

My first chick hatched this morning. It pipped at 9pm last night, and finally hatched at about 7.45 this morning. For the first hour I was convinced that it was dying, it looked so weak.

 

He's now chirping really loudly and is in the brooder. His brother emerged about 20 minutes ago, and looked just the same. I felt better this time as I'd seen the first one.

 

I found it really hard not to interfere, so you have my sympathies.

 

I had the humidity set to 70%. There is so much conflicting advice!

[likeabalalaika]

Hi WitchHazel,

 

Thank you so much for your reply. It's so comforting to hear your story. I hope your brood are doing well. It's so completely nerve wracking, isn't it? My first hatching experience was perfect by the book, so now this pekin hatch seems like a horror story.

 

The chick I unzipped now seems quite perky in the incubator but the other two are still stuck. No more interfering from me now, it's just a waiting game. It's so sad to see them struggle though, isn't it? I think the design needs improving upon, maybe some velco or something instead of the membranes.

 

Oh the whole humidity thing drives me crazy! One book said not to alter the humidity in the last three days from the 45-55% RH throughout incubation, another source told said to put it up to 85% RH! It must depend on your individual climate, the time of year, whether you've got central heating. What a nightmare! Who knows!?

[likeabalalaika]

Just as an update to offset all the doom and gloom, here are the four lemon cuckoo pekin chicks as of this evening!

 

 

Three of them were assisted (following this rough guide. I hated doing it but they were definitely dying in the shell so I made the decision to at least give them a fighting chance. Wouldn't recommend it though if you can at all avoid it. Absolutely dreadful experience. I have a whole new appreciation for doctors and vets.) Strangely the one of those I didn't help much as the other two is the one which is not so good, there was quite a bit of blood in it's shell when it pulled itself free of the shell and it's completely exhausted, is much smaller and generally not looking very well so we'll see how he is tomorrow.

 

The fourth one was a surprise having pipped and hatched itself within a couple of minutes about half and hour ago so I'm hoping that means that the difficulties with the other three is not wholly my fault with messing up the humidity.

 

No sign of any the other two pekins or the three wyandottes so we'll see what the morning holds. Please god, no more drama.

[Redwing]

Its so un-nerving when they take ages to hatch and lie exhausted After my first hatch I said I wouldnt hatch anything again!

 

Congratulations on your new chicks

[Lewis]

As a rule, I'd say don't help with a hatch as there is a real risk of hitting a blood vessel and as chicks haven't had to struggle out, they may be weaker chicks but you have hatched before and seem to have been ok

 

Did you set the wyandottes on the same day as the pekins?

[WitchHazel]

They are so sweet and helpless looking.

 

Fingers crossed that everything is OK today.

[likeabalalaika]

Huzzah! They're all OK this morning - even the poorly one! They're the most adorable chicks all doddering around like drunkards on a Saturday night. I'll post some photos later on when they're in the brooder.

 

Helping the hatch was awful. I really wouldn't have helped if I didn't think that it was my fault for obviously messing the humidity up. I'm not sure why those three couldn't rotate inside the egg but they certainly look like they were way too big. I've never seen chicks that were so squished. I should have kept a closer eye on the volume loss.

 

A friend of mine told me that it's quite common for him to help his pekins and silkies hatch. He was really blase about it but it horrified me. My 1p's worth is that I think that it's definitely to be avoided if possible if anyone is ever tempted to get involved. You have to be sure that they're not going to get out themselves and that they're on the point of giving up. The ones I helped, even though they forced the egg apart themselves, definitely have weaker leg muscles than the one that hatched naturally.

 

Lwescott - Hi! Yes, the wyandotte banties were set at the same time but there's still no sign of them.