Chick is hatching: Membrane is dried out! Help!*UPDATE: She made it!*

[77horses]

Yesterday, the egg in my homemade ice chest bator that I thought wasn't going to make it pipped!

I knew that since humidity was now in the 50's, it will probably get stuck. Sure enough, I called my dad this morning and he said it hasn't made any progress. But it is alive and peeping quite a lot!

I found that great thread that someone started about intervening and how to help a chick hatch. So one indication is if the membrane has turned really white and rubbery around the pip. Yep, it has. And another indication is if it's been a while with no progress. Yep, the chick hasn't made any progress since last night. So, I've been talking my dad through how to help it. He has the moist paper towels, q-tips, and tweezers ready right now. He has never done this before and usually I take care of helping the chicks and incubating eggs, but I am at my mom's house(over an hour away) so I have been talking him through it.
So far, he has taken a little bit of the shell away from where the chick pipped. The membrane is white and rubbery. The chick has been pushing against the membrane, trying to get out. I told him that if he sees ANY blood, STOP and wrap the egg in a warm, wet paper towel and put it back in the bator for an hour or two(make sure pip is open for chick to breathe and is facing up). So he saw some blood and did what I told him. Then he called me again and told me that it still hadn't hatched, but was still peeping and sometimes(but not as often as before) moving around. He has made the pip a little bigger(about the size of a nickle) and can see the chick's beak and some wet feathers right now.


What should we do now???

I've never had to help a chick before, and especially not be talking someone with little experience through it. I've told him everything to know about intervening, but I hate not being able to do it myself. But so far he's doing good.
Help!


Thanks!

 

[77horses]

Also, my dad sees that the chick is black with some white. It is a cross between our black Amerauacana pullet, Raven, and our Splash Cochin rooster, Foghorn.

I really hope it makes it!

 

[sonew123]

how about putting warm moist paper towels in bator to up the humidty for the others? All he can do is really slowly break sheel away and keep that membrane moist with warm water-wrapped in ptowel-not covering the air hole though. leave for an hour in bator and then try a littlemore help. keep re-peating process. what day is it on?

 

[Goose and Fig]

You're doing the right thing- just keep the egg damp and it should make it out ok.

 

[77horses]

Quote:
I'm really not sure. It was under a broody hen that abandoned it, but I'm guessing 21-22(or possibly 23) it just pipped yesterday afternoon.

 

[77horses]

Update: chick is still peeping away.

 

[AHappychick]

hatch the chick out now, or it wont make it. I have found that if they get stuck there is a small window when you can hatch it and have no problems, if you wait to long there is issues. the yolk sack should be absorbed by now. have him pop off the top half of the egg, wrap in warm wet papr towel (dont cover beak) and put back in. but make sure it can stretch out and get out of egg, asap.

 

[77horses]

Quote:
Yes that's what we are trying to do. He is just resting now. There's a dime sized hole in the shell and membrane now, big enough for his head to fit through. He can see his eyes and beak and the chick can breathe easily.
We CAN'T take the shell off now. There are still blood vessels up near his head and on the membrane and right now my dad said he has been taking away bits of the shell and membrane once and a while. He just saw some more blood so the chick was wrapped in a warm moist paper towel(pipped side with beak facing up so he can breathe) and we are waiting an hour or so for now.

 

[77horses]

We want to get him out but I read that if you see blood, STOP AND PUT IT BACK IN THE BATOR WRAPPED IN A WARM MOIST PAPER TOWEL. And he sees some blood so we really can't just pop the top off or it will bleed.

 

[Katy]

If this chick just pipped yesterday afternoon you are probably helping before you should. It can take over 24 hours from the time it pips till when it starts zipping. As far as the membrane getting white around the pip...they almost all do that. That's not an indication that the rest of it is too dry. If he is hitting blood that is an indication that the chick isn't ready to hatch yet. If you rush the hatching process you very well may have a chick that hasn't had time to absorb all the yolk.