This is my first hatch... our hen hatched three and abandon the other eggs. (some must have been laid by other hens into the box at various times, so not all hatched at once.)
i brought the eggs inside and three hatched a day later. Then today one started hatching and was having real trouble. It's beak was starting to look blue-ish. It appeared to be trying to peep, with no sound, so i began thinking maybe it was gasping for air.
i gave in and helped her out of the shell. The membrane was very thick under the white outer most membrane. I slowly removed sections of the shell and about two hours later pushed the thick membrane off it and left it attached. I kept the membrane wet with a paper towel and left the chick under the red heat light on top of a warm sock full of dry rice. It looks to me like there is a lentil sized yolk sac still attached. The membrane is starting to dry up now...
Will the sac be absorbed?
What do i do with the membrane?
Will it fall of eventually?
It's starting to move around and when it tries to peep it actually makes a noise now!

hi
it may still absorb but I haven't had a lot of luck with ones that don't absorb their yolks in the shell...they need special care and don't thrive after a day or so..but maybe someone else has had some luck caring for them?

I hope soo much that it will make it1
It's been a long day. I might be up with it all night!
:-)

I had an early keet (Rocky) that I successfully nursed through a rough patch, but he had absorbed all the yolk by the time I helped him out of the shell. I gave Rocky liquid multivitamins (Poly-vi-sol with NO iron) 3x a day and dipped his beak in water on the hour. Once he seemed alittle stronger, I put a band-aid splint on his legs (as if treating spraddle leg) to help him gain strength in his legs while he learned to walk. It seems like chicks that don't get to push out of the shell by themselves often have weak/problem legs.

I hope your little guy makes it. Good luck.

Had a light bulb moment last year when I considered that the chicks with the unabsorbed yolk had a major disadvantage not having those extra nutrients for the first days of life. It occurred to me that maybe I should feed what they are missing to give them a little boost in their disadvantaged state.

I suggest feeding a raw yolk from a freshly laid clean egg from a healthy hen. A raw yolk is the most complete food on the planet, easily digestible and very easy for a little chicky to sip from a small syringe or dropper. I would use the raw yolk over cooked because cooking (heat) will destroy some of the nutrients (plus it’s easier to feed this way). Do not use the raw white because it egg white contains anti-nutrients in its raw form. Naturally using clean, clean hands along with everything else, separate the yolk from the white, put in a small cup to refrigerate between feedings, give it a stir and you’re good to go.

Last year, I had one little chickie that I’m sure would not have made it without the help of raw yolk feedings for the first 48 hours. Poor little chick had (what seemed to me) an alarming amount of blood loss during the hatch, had an unabsorbed yolk along with a large piece of shell that didn’t detach dangling behind and was very limp and weak. I separated the chick from the rest so it could absorb as much yolk as possible and let the dangly stuff dry without the trauma of being jostled and stepped on and get much needed rest. The first 3 or 4 feedings just only a couple drops with a very weak sip reflex, then after that just got stronger and stronger. After 24 hours it had perked up to point of sipping itself and by 48 hours was gobbling it down. At that point I cut off the dried junk and after one last good sip, it was in with the rest and remained vigourous and healthy.

Could have been a fluke but that is what I would do again in the same situation. I think if you use a raw yolk from a fresh clean egg from a healthy hen, the risks are minimal to none and weigh in favor of giving a chick a good start.

Thanks for all the responses. My little one was doing soo good this morning. Trying to stand and lift it's little head up. I was so excited that it made it for so long.
I had to work... got home 5 hours later and it's not alive.
:-(
I am irrationally sad about it. There seemed to be some dried foam around it's beak, so maybe there was more than just an early hatch problem going on.

so sorry to hear that. I have had similar experiences, not that it makes it any easier.
how are the ones with them momma hen doing?

Actually i had to take them away from her, she surprisingly, did not really mind.
The openings in the chicken wire of the run are not small enough to keep them in, So we lost one. I wasn't willing to lose anymore. ALso, the other hens started attacking the babies and two got pretty bad peck marks with missing down.

Now they (5) are living in my house :-)

For next time we have a hen decide to lay on her eggs...any recommendations as to how we get her out of the coop and away from the others? There was no messing with her after she decided to lay on those eggs!!
:-)

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mommy and babies day two

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All together now in my house. You can see the peck mark on the one in the back (behind it's eye)