How to Hatch Assist a Malpositioned Poult
- Shaneen Smith
- Nov 1, 2021
- 3 min read
To help, or not to help - is an assisted hatch a good idea? This particular article touches on the case of a malpositioned poult. This article could help with what to look for and how to execute a malpositioned, hatch assist procedure. This is not to be used as a step by step guide, your situation will differ. Here is our story and how we helped this little poult.
As a newbie, I thought hatch days would be easy and exciting, I never thought I would experience a problem hatch. I was flooded with fear when my gut told me to assist this poult! Seriously? "I can't do this - if I do it wrong it will die - if I don't do it at all it will die. My stomach churned at the thought of even trying, I had no idea what I was doing.
"Mother nature has her own plans".
First I want to tell you, it's ok, it's possible and you CAN do it with gentle hands, patience and knowledge. Read on to find out how this "newbie" successfully assisted this little bird and how she is doing today!
In the case of a malpotionsed poult, the pip hole is BOTH the external and internal pip (this is the case for ALL of these types of situations). These pips can be difficult to deal with as they are made into a fully active membrane area instead of the safe zone of the air cell.
Should you assist the hatch?
There is some knowledge required and some things to consider before even attempting an assisted hatch, be aware of what could happen and use careful judgement during execution.
What could go wrong?
The poult could bleed out.
Air exposure too quick, too soon and the membrane will stick to their delicate skin.
The poult could drown.
Do the following in all situations:
Unzip slowly, you can remove portions of the shell and leave the membrane intact.
Position yourself in a moist bathroom with the door closed (add hot water to the bathtub).
Here are the things to look for if it is the right time to assist a hatch or leave it alone. All situations are different, do not use this as a step by step guide, you must use careful judgement when assisting a hatch.
If your poult has made an external pip at the wrong end or somewhere in between, just monitor them first to see if they can hatch out themselves. If there is no progress within a 10 - 12 hour period, then consider a slow assist.
If your poult has pipped the right end there are some situations that still may require an assist.
Consider an assist if:
the poult is stuck for several hours in the middle of the unzipping stage.
the poult is mostly unzipped but unable to kick free after 8 hours.
the poult has made a pip hole but hasn't started unzipping after 18 - 24 hours.
the membrane at the pip-hole has turned brown or tan and dried.
if the poult seems exhausted after 8 hours begin to assist by slowly chipping the outer shell as to create a viewing hole to see whats going on in there.
If you're a first time "assister", do not act too quickly - premature intervention will come with tragic consequences.
DO NOT under any circumstance:
remove the inner membrane, only the shell.
let the membrane dry out (this is where coconut oil worked great for us).
Tools:
Tweezers
Hand towels
Heating pad (if you have one)
Warm room with a temperature of 75°F+ or a bathroom with hot water in the tub.
Coconut oil to soften membrane as you go. (some people use water, however when I did, it dried too quickly and chilled the poult, so I quickly switched to coconut oil, and it worked wonders).
Flashlight just incase.
A second set of hands if needed.
That's our story of how we successfully assisted a poult needing help on hatch day! We hope you found this article helpful.
Our goal is to raise our animals ethically and offer them their best lives possible. We choose to learn from our mistakes, document them for our future reference, and who knows, maybe our mistakes or farm hacks can help others in their farming journey!
~ Cariboo Blue Farm
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