Pip in middle of egg?

One of my Ameraucana eggs has pipped in the lower part of the egg and isn’t in the air cell. I know because I’ve been tracing the air cells to keep track of there size. I’ve never had this happen before. It’s the evening of day 19 and there is one other egg pipped (fortunately in the right place) so I don’t want to open the bator and compromise the other chicks in the hatch.

What should I do? Is there anything I can do? For now I’m sitting tight and hoping for the best…

It's #9 in the top row. The tiny hole is just visible.

Relax, breath and try not to worry. Just let nature run it's course.

Ok, that's what I figured. Thanks for the reassurance PC.

I'm definitely hearing faint peeps coming from the bator now, which is very encouraging. And I’m sure I saw #9 egg wiggle a few times too. So on that note I’m going to bed before I drive myself (and my family) crazy.

I hope all went well and the chick is out. If not, do keep an eye on it. Sometimes when they pip low, or on the bottom of the egg they are not able to rotate in the shell to get the full circle done to get out. A bottom pip is one of the only times I will think of helping a little, but just don`t do it to soon.
I hope the chick is out this morning and you don`t have to worry about it.

Mine often pip in the middle where it doesn't seem to be in the air cell and do fine.

We have had a few ducks who don't use the air cell and pip on the opposite end. This hatch one did that and had his head out but kept on spinning in his shell so I pulled him out and can't tell which one he is now.

He’s not out yet, but has managed to make his pip hole quite a bit bigger since yesterday evening. I can see his beak moving and hear him peeping away, which I'm taking for a good sign. I will continue to monitor the situation (like a hawk, lol) and intervene if it becomes necessary. I swear sometimes it feels like every hatch is my first time.

Thanks alot guys!

Update: Day 21- He’s out!

Late last night the little guy seemed to be wearing out, so I made the call to help. I carefully completed his zip with tweezers, wrapped his egg in a warm, wet paper towel and sat him back inside the egg carton in the bator. By the time I got up this morning to check (5am) he was out by himself. That’s the good news. The bad news is he’s made the inside of my bator a bloody mess. Literally. It looks like a scene from a horror movie. He seems to have some kind of pinkish ball attached to his navel (another thing I’ve never seen before) and has been leaving a bloody trail behind him. I honestly cannot believe the little fella is still alive. So I plucked him out and applied cornstarch to the ball-thing to stop blood loss and help dry it up. He’s snoozing in the brooder now and seems ok otherwise. I’ll have to watch closely so the others don’t pick on him or his gross little friend.

Anyone know what causes this? None of the other chicks hatched with anything like it.

Not sure what it is, but I had 2 hatch with what sounds like the same thing. The one died, and the other I put some paper towel down so he was not dragging over the wire on the bator and it seemed to help him heal and once he healed the lump disappeared. I called it his outtie belly button! LOL

I had one of those but just with the little red ball (and a chick I helped hatch, FYI). It wasn't dragging anything around. I just disinfected it twice a day, kept her/him in the bator longer once the others were out to give it a chance to heal and two days later popped her in with the rest and we haven't looked back. It's a c**pshoot, helping these chicks hatch, I say. Sometimes there's good reason and sometimes it's because the conditions aren't perfect and a little help is all they need.

Sounds like there was no bleeding while you helped the zip, but that he just wasn't quite done yet. It's a tough call and you can't know for sure. It seems 50/50 whether these ones make it. I had one do fine for a day, then went downhill fast. Hope yours does well.

Crapshoot is right. Sometimes it seems like you’re damned if you do, damned if you don’t…

No, there was no blood when I zipped. Although it seemed like his pip hole was bloody at first, almost like he hit a small vein when he first broke through?

Well he's definitely the runt of the hatch that’s for sure. But he is drinking, walking fine, and pecking at the crumbles like all the rest. I’ve also given him a few drops of Poly-Vi-Sol for an extra boost. I have hubby picking up some betadine (or iodine, whichever he can find) from the city and will give the navel button and area a good disinfecting later tonight.

Sad update:

The little guy didn't make it. He passed away late last night. I'm chalking it up to premature birth (likely caused by my helping him to zip and forcing him to pop out of his egg too early) and failure to thrive. He was so tiny compared to the other chicks. Sometimes mother nature really does know best. Sigh...