advice...should I open my day 24 eggs?

[humster]

Two of their egg-mates hatched on day 21.

 

[humster]

UUUuuugh. Okay, I did it. No fun.

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

If it were me, I'd wait one more day then toss them in the forest. Then go peek at them.

 

[humster]

Aww, thanks. Heartbreaking...

Another question. How long will this chick roll around chirping in the egg before coming out?
It's been awhile and I check on it every two minutes!

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

Oh you have one alive in the egg? I misunderstood!

I really have no experience with a chick that can't get out of its shell. I know that if you break the egg, the membrane may shrink wrap it and it might suffocate.

Please read this:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=9316

 

[BeccaB00]

It normally takes a chick atleast 24 hours to hatch. If it's rolling around and pipping don't open it.

 

[OkieChickenDad]

If its active and rolling around alot, leave it alone...If its pip'ed and seems to be working on one spot for a day, and then just giving up with little to no progress...then you may choose to "help" them. You will need a hot damp towel to stabilize temps/humidity. Then get in there and pull some shell back, along the line the chick would normally zip the egg. It wont shrink wrap if you have a pip and you just crack and peel a tiny bit at a time. Make sure you have control of the membrane and maintain your lockdown humidity. You can hold the membrane when you pull off tiny pieces of egg. When you slit the membrane GO SLOW...there will be some blood, stop for a bit. This process will take quite some time, keep the egg oriented. You crack a tiny bit, peel a tiny bit and zip a tiny bit...and stop for a long bit. You will eventually have the egg to a point where the chick should push itself out. Most times they do this before you get too far along in this process. Sometimes you will have to zip the whole egg and lay it open for the chick to just lay there and rest before coming on out. We have had to do this on some of our sets this summer and increased our hatch rates by doing it. All of the chicks we had to do this to have survived and are doing great.

I know. I know...let nature take its course. But didn't we take nature out of the picture when we stole the eggs and stuck them in a sterile bleached box with a heating element? Yeah...so I see it as a responsibility if you have pips on the 23rd/24th day, still alive, but just needing help. I'm going to do what ever I need to do to save the chick that may or may not be having this problem due to my inability to regulate temps/humidity/turning/ventilation etc...as nature would have done if I had not intervened in the first place.

Here is a pic of Corky...took 1.5 hours to "help" him hatch and my wife did ALL the work. When he came out he still had a portion of yolk sac still attached...just leave them in until they are fluffed and running around the 'bator like they were at a Punk Rock concert.