I just hatched out 20 more chicks this past weekend and had something unusual happen. My incubator has a clear top on it so I can watch chicks being hatched. I noticed that one of the eggs that was pipping suddenly started bubbling goo up and out of the pip hole and down the side of the egg. The hole was large enough to see the chicks mouth chirping. The bubbles quickly grew larger and started filling up the hole. I was afraid that the chick was going to choke and drown so I grabbed it out of there. I smelled it and there was no odor at all, so I peeled the top of the egg off so the chick could breath okay and to let the goo out (the goo was kind of thick, not watery) then, since it didn't smell, I placed the egg back in the incubator. I didn't want to peel the bottom off because they were hatching a day early and I didn't know how much yolk had been absorbed.
A few hours later, I noticed the chick was laying in the same spot, not moving, and was chirping a lot! I took it back out and the poor little thing was stuck solid and stiff. Whatever the goo was had dried around it and it was stiff as a board. I took it in the bathroom and rinsed it off with warm water, gently worked the egg off and cut the cord so it wouldn't pull out a hole in the chicks belly. I got as much of the goo off as I could, then wrapped the chick in a paper towel to dry it off a little before putting it back into the incubator. The chick seems fine and is running around with the other ones like nothing had happened.
Has anyone seen anything like this before? I don't like to interfere with a hatch, but I have no doubt this chick would have choked and drowned.
--Sharon