Assisting in hatching

[Tgmcr]

I had 8 eggs in the incubator that started hatching 2 days ago. One first had pipped and made a decent enough sized hole that I could see its beak. I assumed that it would be the first to hatch, but it still isn't out. 4 hatched 2 nights ago, 2 hatched last night, 1 just hatched now. This little one still hasn't come out. I can hear it and see it moving around but I don't know how much time I should give it...should I try and chip away a little bit at the shell and see if that help at all, or give it a little more time?

 

[Offshoreorca]

If they externally pip and don’t zip within 24hrs of pipping, normally something is wrong and they need assistance. Just go slowly and carefully - make sure you read up what to do. Stop immediately if you see veins that haven’t been absorbed or signs of bleeding, but it should be ready to come out. Be warned that sometimes there’s a reason why they don’t hatch successfully, but it doesn’t hurt to try assisting.