Assisting chicks to hatch

[cmom]

I have assisted many chicks hatch, but only after they have piped the shell. I have had a couple that were stuck and I waited to long and they died. I hear some peeping in some of the eggs that haven't hatched. They were susposed to hatch yesterday. I want to pip the shells of these eggs and assist the chicks in hatching. Has anyone done this???

 

[heathersboers]

I have and it ended horribly- It was too soon and there was so much blood!!!

I would leave them be IMO. I have also been antsy and so excited and worried that they would die in the shell- and it has happened, but Id rather them die by not getting out, than feeling like I killed them.. if that makes sense to you??? I would give thema little more time. they can hatch VERY late and still be OK. Good luck!!

 

[Gypsy07]

I'm sure I remember reading somewhere here that this is really not a good idea. You don't know the orientation of the chick in the shell so you can't make the 'pip' where the chicks beak is. And anyway if they were only due yesterday there's every chance they'll hatch fine on their own, just a bit late. And if you hear them cheeping inside the shells then they've already pipped internally into the air sac and they're probably working up to pipping the shell. Just leave them be. Don't mess with them. They'll do their own thing, in their own time...

Edited to add: A while back before I knew any better I carefully picked open eggs that were on day 23. I thought they were dead and I wanted to see what the chicks looked like. But they were still alive in there, and I killed them by opening the shells before they were ready. They probably wouldn't have hatched anyway, but still...

 

[jvls1942]

I just lost a goose because he did not pip.. That is tough, but a part of incubating ..

a word of caution.. IF you are forced to interfere, (notice I did not say "help") with a sticky chick.. all you should do is unstick the chick with warm water.. NEVER remove it from the shell..

just because they are pipped , zipped and almost hatched, they have to work themselves out of the shell.. they are still attached to the yolk sac and have to absorb all of it before they get out of the shell..

 

[cmom]

My thought is to wait another day. Since they were due to hatch yesterday I think I will wait until tomorrow (2 days after hatch due date) and if they haven't hatched by then I will open the shells. I usually do open any unhatched eggs after a couple of days beyond their hatch date and they are dead, so I wonder if I did it sooner would they have made it. I have taken chicks out of their shells and they have survived even the ones where quite a lot of blood appeared to come out but in reality probably it just looks like there is more blood than there is actually as when a woman has her monthly it looks like you are bleeding to death but in reality it isn't really that much, it looks worse than it is. I wonder if I help them they may die but if I don't they still may die. I have read many articles as the other posters have stated, but just wondering if there is any exceptions. I did mark the eggs that I heard peep.

 

[jvls1942]

It may look like a lot of blood compared to what is actually spilled, but keep this in mind.. a full grown chicken has only about 1/2 cup of blood in it.. how muh do you hink is in a chick?

 

[cmom]

Quote:
I agree. I never had any blood come out of a chick but came out of the shell. If I hadn't assisted it wouldn't have made it as it was super stuck.

 

[tennesseeckn]

Oooh. I just helped a chick last week and will NEVER do it again. I had pipped and cheeped for three days before I decided I needed to intervene. I took tweezers and took little pieces at a time until it was zipped, but it still couldn't get out. Twelve hours later I decided that it was exhausted from taking three days to zip and just needed to get out, stretch out, and rest. I chipped away the rest of the shell and it flopped out all wet and squished looking. It took SIX days for the poor chick to struggle and suffer before it died. It never could stand up, even though I tortured it with band aids and pieces of sponge. It never had enough head control to peck food or drink normally and had a dropper shoved in its beak every couple of hours, even though it clearly had NO desire to eat or drink.

The lessons I learned were to NEVER help a chick out and to CULL one that is malformed immediately. It's not fair to the little things to have to suffer because I am a weakling.

 

[jvls1942]

Quote:
I agree. I never had any blood come out of a chick but came out of the shell. If I hadn't assisted it wouldn't have made it as it was super stuck.

that blood in the shell is part of the chick's reserve.. If you separate the chick from that blood, you are depriving it of a lot of blood..

I understand,, you had a stuck chick and assisted it, but once you unstick it, you have to let it struggle the rest of the way out on it's own.. once you see blood,,, STOP peeling right there.. come back at it a few hours later... ou might have to unstick it again and again//

 

[wannabchick]

For me, if it never pipped or zipped..I think I would do nothing. Now can't say I stand by what I say because I haven't experienced.

One chick though was zipped for almost 48 hours I helped..it was weak for several days

When it finally got out it's yolk was attached , wrapped it in wet papertowel, fed it water, sugar , vitamins, yogurt, let's say doted and cared for it..and it absolutely made it..it's now 2 months old..a rooster mind ya out of the whole Cochin group and the only one frizzle

Infact I will give this to my friends husband..it is jet black curly,with piercing green eyes

My friend , is the one who passed away a couple months ago and she was going to incubate them for her dh for xmas

But I did it for her..I couldn't let anything happen to any of them..

And this frizzled Cochin rooster..hate to say this..if their was the contest- which chicken looks most like u..lol

That egg I helped along with hatching..looks just like Marsha

Wavy curly jet black hair with piercing green eyes

Xoxoxo