If it has pipped through the shell he should be ok. You do NOT want to assist too soon. (I'm talking about assisting, not moving shell from the pip hole to give it air.) When a chick pips into the air cell they usually rest a good 24 hours before they pip through the outer shell. While they are resting they are learning to breath with their lungs, they are often still absorbing the yolk, and the blood vessels are drying and becoming smaller. When they do not pip into the air cell and they pip directly to the outside world, they have not been given the chance to do these things that are neccessary for survivial on the outside yet. They need to be given the time to catch up. After they externally pip they usually still take a good 12-24 hours, (some more, some less) before they start their zip. So when they are malepositioned you are basically waiting for them to do everything in one step that they should be doing in two and that can not be rushed.
If you assist to soon and too fast you put that chick at just as much danger as leaving them in the shell w/o assistance. Either way you can (and most probably will at some point) loose chicks, If the chick has not absorbed the yolk, you can cause it to rupture and you can cause Omphallitis. If the blood vessels are still prominent you can nick/cut these causing the chick to bleed out. Assisted hatching should never be rushed!
Many malepositioned chicks make their own way out with no help whatsoever. Others are going to need help because of positioning or they've started to become shrink wrapped.
My rule of thumb is wait 18 hours. (If there are bubbles or other signifiers that something is terribly wrong, then of course, I would react ASAP). If there has been absolutely no progress I will then expand the pip hole so that I can check the position of the chick. If he is in the correct position I will moisten the membrane and leave him to do his work. If he is in a position that is going to make it hard or near impossible to hatch on his own, then I will start an assist. Slowly. Starting a zip by removing the shell little by little then moistening the membrane and returning him to the incubator to rest and try to progress on his own. Every couple hours I repeat this until he can free himself or until I finish the zip, whatever comes first. At any time if there is significant blood from a vein, you stop, wet the area and replace the chick. Or is you see the yolk sac has not been fully absorbed.
I give them at least 18 hours so they can be finishing that stuff that we don't see.
As for chirping from inside the shell, yes, that signifies that they have internally pipped.
How are things looking this morning??
