First hatch assist?

[PurplePoppiPpl]

Just got my first peeper around 2:30, all she has done is crack the shell and hasnt flaked any peices off just checked again hear her a little bit but doesnt seem like shes trying to get out should i just flake off little peice to see how the membrane is doing?

 

[laceynoelle]

You should probably just give her time. It's usually best not to intervene, although it's sometimes hard, haha.

 

[BantamLover21]

Just leave her be. It usually takes chicks 4-12 hours to finish hatching after they first pip, but in my experience, they can go as short as 10 minutes or as long as 24+ hours. If you open up the incubator to assist, you'll risk disturbing other eggs, reducing the humidity (causing the membrane to dry out), and may cause more harm than good with the egg being assisted. I would just keep a close eye on the egg; if the membrane turns white and stiff, you can rub some water on it to soften it, and if no progress is made by tomorrow afternoon, you can slowly chip away some of the shell. Watch out for blood vessels, and stop if it starts bleeding too much. Good luck!

 

[stevetone]

Yes, the "zipping" process can start 12-24 or more hours after the first external pip. So patience is needed.

Having said that, I personally have no problem in helping chicks complete the task once started, particularly if no progress has been made after 24 hours of starting the zip process.

My willingness to help a hatching chick is directly proportional to the value of the chick and inversely proportional to the number in the hatch

(ie., if the chick is "valuable" and there are not many in the hatch, I would be inclined to help. OTOH, if it's just a run-of-the-mill production chick and I have a lot more in the incubator I'd be less inclined to help)