Do I help?

[herwitsend]

I have a chick who pipped overnight sometime on 3/1. Yesterday(3/2)it zipped and was completely done by 9pm. I waited for a couple hours and went to bed thinking for sure it would have hatched by morning. So now it is noon on 3/3 and I can still tell it is alive, but it has made no progress.

At what point to I help the little guy out?

 

[kidcody]

Just remember when you do open the incubator you might shrink wrap any others that have not hatched. I've had luck usuing warm water and misting the other eggs as soon as you open the incubator. Good luck! I know it's hard to watch and do nothing!

 

[mtnviewfarms]

I know it is very difficult. on day 23 - after most hatched - there were still
several that had pipped and began to zip - like yours - then stopped. I did
what Kidcody did and opened the bator and sprayed the remaining eggs with a mist of warm water then closed it back very quickly. I didn't have much hope for them since it was DAY 23 and I went to bed very sad ( incubator is in my bedroom ) but was awakened early the next morning to happy little peeps!!!
Overnight after the warm misting two more babies were able to extract themselves from the shells. They were very weak - we had to separate them from the others who were already two days old and healthy as little horses!
They also were matted looking and took forever to dry out and fluff up whereas the ones who hatched on days late on 21 and mostly on day 22 were out and
rearing to to and dried off quickly. Within two days the little late comers were just as big and feisty as their older sibs and all was well so don't give up!
Let us know how it goes.

 

[mtnviewfarms]

I forgot to mention that we also heard weak peeping from two other eggs
that pipped ( barely ) but never zipped - this was late in day 23 and we
didn't want to 'toss them' w/o trying to do something so we gently opened
them but they didn't make it.

 

[herwitsend]

I already lost one that pipped, zipped yesterday and died this morning.

So sad.

I helped this one a little bit and put it back in the bator about 30 minutes ago. It just finally hatched. (insert "complete relief" smiley)

I think this is the last of them. I'll give them all one last check for pips and a good listen before I give up...