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Helping Chicks Hatch |
I don't like to help chicks hatch. That doesn't mean I don't do it on occasion, but I still don't like it. I believe that you have to trust in Mother Nature to know what she is doing, and I don't like to second guess her.
Having said that - I DO help chicks hatch. Most of the time, I am successful and the chick is fine. Sometimes as the chick grows, I see weaknesses that are like Mother Nature saying, "See, I told you!" But sometimes a healthy normal chick just has a little problem and can benefit from a helping hand. With some silkies, if a chick has a large skull vault - it can pip, but not move around in the egg to finish the job.
Before you can assist a hatching chick, you have to understand the composition of the egg. Under the shell, there are two membranes. The outer membrane is like rubbery paper, it doesn't carry a blood supply. If you have ever peeled a hard-boiled egg, you are familiar with that membrane directly under the shell. The inner membrane carries the blood supply.
As the chick works its way around the shell, using the egg tooth on its beak to poke holes through both membranes and the shell, a signal is sent to stop the blood supply in the inner membrane. By the time the chick has circled the egg, making its little holes, the blood supply has completely stopped and the chick can push the two halves of the egg apart, just by flexing with its body and pushing. If the chick has taken too long to complete its trip around the egg, the outer membrane can dry out and become very rubbery and tough - and the chick can wear itself out trying to push against that tough membrane. After awhile, the chick weakens, gives up and dies.
These are easy chicks to help. The blood supply has stopped, there isn't any danger of the chick bleeding to death. I just take a toothpick and slide it under the tough membrane, slowly connecting the holes that the chick has made. Once the membrane is broken all around the egg, the chick generally just pushes the two halves apart. The chick is placed back in the hatcher and allowed to separate from the egg halves and gather its strength.
But what about the chick that has pipped, it's been 10 hours and no progress made? These are the difficult chicks to help. Sometimes it has been long enough that the blood supply has stopped and there is little to no bleeding. Other times, the blood supply is still active and too much intervention will result in the chick bleeding to death.
I take the pipped egg out and listen. If it is strongly cheeping, then I know I have a good chance. Using a toothpick, I just go under the membranes and poke a hole about 1/8 inch from the original pip. If I don't see any blood, I poke another hole. Essentially I am just continuing the action the chick would make, poking holes around the egg from the inside. At the first sight of any blood, I stop immediately and put the egg back in the hatcher for 15-20 minutes. Then I will start again. It might take 4 or 5 starts and stops before the blood supply has completely stopped. Eventually I will have worked my way around the egg, and I will put it back in the hatcher and see if the chick can push the two halves apart by itself. If another hour goes by and no progress has been made, then I will connect the holes in the membranes, and free the chick.
Sometimes, despite your best efforts, the chick will die. But sometimes they will live and grow healthy and beautiful.
I do not ever help a chick hatch that hasn't pipped, even if I can hear it and know that it is alive. If it doesn't have the strength to pip the shell, chances are that I cannot hatch it alive without too much blood loss. That is just my opinion, others may be successful.