Big chick - when to help?

[busylizzie]

I have posted about this before....but no-one replied sniff sniff...

I have a small silkie egg and the chick inside looks massive for the gestational age.....day 15/16 now.....there is nowhere left for the chick to grow into and the egg is rocking! I really feel that if i leave the egg it is going to be too large and die in shell......should i help? if so when and how?

many thanks

 

[Paganbird]

Give it a chance. Much more could go wrong by you "helping" it than it hatching alone.
Read the sticky on when to help & how to help, just in case.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=48726

 

[Katy]

At this point in the incubation the chick will be taking up every nook and cranny in the egg and they all look like there is no way they're going to be able to turn and zip, but 9999 out of a 10000 make it just fine. Give it a chance to do it on it's own. I don't help them hatch, if they can't do it on their own I let Mother Nature take over.

 

[cattbird]

Hello, I'm from the UK too.

I'm starting to think this has been my problem in hatching. Have you had any D.I.S?

Mine fill the egg in candelling at day 13 or so. They are fine right up until hatching then suddenly die.

If I were you I would not help so soon. The chick probably wont be ready now even though it looks full. It has to absorb the yolk. If you were to open the egg you'd probably find lots of veins with blood flowing through them, the chick could bleed to death if one was split.. even if you did get it out sucsessfully it would probably be too weak to live at this gestation.

I am with you though on the too big for shell. I would just wait a while longer observing the rocking and cheeping.. she may pip if she is ready?

Where abouts in kent are you?

 

[busylizzie]

thanks for the help everyone.....I think I will watch and wait until at least day 22 if they are struggling I may help a little but I am scared about doing more harm than good!

I am in tunbridge wells