Should I help this chick hatch or it is ok?

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I hate to say it but it's a matter of knowing what to do and when to do it.. I have seen some who have opened the air cell and assumed the chick was dead.. then ripped into the membrane causing a perfectly fine chick to bleed to death.. so it's not something to be taken lightly.. i've been doing this for a very very very long time.. and it's also very rare that i lose a chick.. I was lucky though.. I was raised around "poultry people" who worked most of the bugs out of the system long before I came along

As it is.. I can tell people what I would do given the info they give me.. if they choose to follow that advice and listen to everything I tell them.. and follow each step .. well.. that's up to them.. I can only do so much from a distance and not be there to see and hear what's going on. so i have to depend on what info they give me

assisting a hatch is not for everyone.. it's purely a personal choice and everyone must follow their heart and do what's right for them

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can you see inside the egg through the hole you made?

No I can't. The chick quietly peeped at me when I candled it. I only made a very small whoe. I can't see anything. I wondered if I should just go ahead and make it large enough to see what it looked like inside and then wrap it in a wet paper towel if it looked fine.

If I do make it larger, what will tell me if it has a problem or what will it look like if all is fine?

" I can only do so much from a distance and not be there to see and hear what's going on. so i have to depend on what info they give me"

I may just have to come get you!

We may not be that far away!

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can you see inside the egg through the hole you made?

No I can't. The chick quietly peeped at me when I candled it. I only made a very small whoe. I can't see anything. I wondered if I should just go ahead and make it large enough to see what it looked like inside and then wrap it in a wet paper towel if it looked fine.

If I do make it larger, what will tell me if it has a problem or what will it look like if all is fine?

ok.. IF you choose to make the hole larger there are a couple of things you need to have on hand just in case

a small dish of warm water
paper towels
a q-tip (your finger will work if you dont have any Q-tips on hand)

first WASH YOUR HANDS.. you dont need to add any more bacteria into the mix

second.. IF you make the hole bigger.. make sure you stay within the air cell.. just chip the shell back until you can see the membrane

you need to look at the color of the membrane.. if it looks white and thick.. he's shrink wrapped
if it's translucent and you can see the chick but no beak.. he's still cooking or already dead
if you can see the beak he's internally pipped
if the membrane looks white and dry you can moisten it

ok.. IF he's alive and the membrane looks good.. just wrap wet paper towels over the opening and around the egg and put him back in the incubator.. if he has internally pipped.. make sure you do not cover up his beak. he needs to be able to breathe

IF the membrane is white and dry.. moisten it with the wet Q-tip.. if it's white and dry and he has internally pipped.. break away any pieces of shell that have pulled away from the membrane and moisten the membrane that was covered by the shell.

IF YOU SEE ANY BLOOD STOP.. wrap him with wet paper towels and put him back into the incubator for at least an hour or two

let me know what you decide to do and how things look and we can take it from there

Just to make sure I understand, the membrane will not be right by the air cell? I put the small hole in the air cell area away from the chick. I just wanted to ensure it didn't suffocate. It was peeping very loudly yesterday and today only softly an not often.

Is there a membrane around the air cell or is the membrane where the dar starts?

I just wanted to say, "Yinepu...bless your giant heart!" Your patience and willingness to be here is saving a lot of chicks and making people happy that they were able to hatch their little fuzzy butts safely. Even though I'm an experienced "helper"...I so enjoy your advice and appreciate the time you take to answer all these posts.

the air cell itself doesn't have a membrane.. if you candled your eggs.. do you remember seeing a line that divided the air cell from the rest of the egg?.. THAT is the membrane you need to see... so the air cell itself is fine to open

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I totally agree! I am new here and to incubating and have been following this thread. I so appreciate the time and effort you put forth to help us.

I'm torn on what to do. I feel I should go ahead and see because the peeping has dwindled so since yesterday. It wasn't loud like a full sized chick but for a bantam it was significantly louder yesterday than today. Also, it has been over 24 hours. I know regardless it is my decision and a chance that I take, but would like to know what others would do.

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I know for a lot of people, they really want their chicks to hatch.. whether they will be pets or for meat birds.. or for layers.. and I hate to see where someone has so many hopes to have those little chicks hatch out and then end up watching them die them when they could have been saved..
personally, i think it's better to try and save them than to sit back and do nothing.. but then that's my beliefs and if someone else believes differently.. well.. that's their right.. and ultimately their eggs and their chicks..
I'm hard headed and stubborn.. so i would rather try and fail than to not try at all.. sure.. the chick may die.. but if you do nothing when it's shrink wrapped or too weak to hatch then it WILL die without some help..

Okay, I'm going to open it up enough to see if there is a problem. If there is a need to leave it and wrap it in a paper towel do I just wrap it everywhere except the whole? What if it tries to pip in a different area that is covered by towel?