When to help babies out

[Patty13637]

of the shell . How do you know if they really need help or I should just leave them the heck alone.

Patty

 

[turkaholic]

From the time a poult pips the shell to hatch is about 24 hours. If I find a poult is still in the shell pipped for longer than 24 hours, chirpping and attempting but making no progress, then I help. Usually they have dried down to much, are sticking and can't turn inside the shell. I'll open the end up and then let them push themselves out. If the poult is strong it will make it, a weak poult no matter what you try, usually will fail and die. Weak mushy poults just don't make it. If you attempt to help before the egg yolk has full been absorbed into the abdomen, they also won't survive. Experience will tell you when to intervene and when to let nature take its course. I know it can be distressing at times, but artificial incubation is not perfect and you will get poults that, dispite all attempts, won't make it.

 

[Steve_of_sandspoultry]

I don't help them out. It may sound cruel but by helping a weak poult you are weakening your flock. Turkaholic gives good advice in their post.

Steve