do you give hatching chicks help if they need it

[ruffeled feathers]

one of my chicks died in the shell

 

[Katy]

Everybody has their own feelings on this. Personally I don't. Most of the time there's a reason they weren't able to make it out on their own.

 

[Ducks-R-Us]

I have helped some out but about half of them die within a few days.

 

[neferset]

I successfully helped about 8 due to crashing humidity around the Halloween Hatch. All of them are doing well so far and none seemed weak or sickly.

I think if you are careful about who you help and why, then are careful about HOW you do it, you can do some good. If it's the fault of the conditions at hatch time, I definitely try to help, because it's not that the chick was weak or shouldn't hatch then, it's because I couldn't keep the sponges damp enough. When you are helping, go slowly and observe what you have. Break egg shell at the air cell and not inner membrane. If you can see yolk, stop and wait. If you see blood vessels, stop and wait. Set the egg up so that the opening is pointing up (an egg carton is good for this). When you have the chick exposed (membrane pulled back and not too tight around him), leave him be to climb out on his own when he's ready.

I never pip an egg for a chick and I only intervene if something I've done or haven't done or wasn't able to do was at fault.

 

[gardenergirl]

I helped a little chick that tried for 2 days to make his way out. He pipped and then made progress slowly for 2 days. He peeped loudly the first day and just seemed worn out on day 2. I carefully opened his shell. When he stretched out, I noticed his toes were all crooked. My daughter and I made him some "shoes", straightened his toes with bandaids and you should see him now!

He is a healthy rooster with straight toes. He is the handsome guy in my profile picture.

 

[Jess N Jeff]

There have been times I have helped and am glad that I have, and there have been times I sat on my hands and let nature take its course.

Eveyone that has hatched eggs comes up against this question. I guess it depends on your situation and your views. Just do what you feel is right at the time and learn from your experience. Good luck!

 

[big red chicken]

Ok the first hatch that I had in Feb. this year, I helped and everything went well. However this last time Oct. I didn't and out of 2 dozen only 6 lived the rest died in the shell. (Don't know why) So I really have mixed feeling with that. If you remove the shell too early you can cause the chick to bleed to death.

 

[the Pollo Loco]

At first I thought I'd let nature take its course, but after educatiing myself on this site I saw that it was ok for me to intervene. at first it seemed akward, part of me felt I was doing something that that was wrong, but the more I did it I realized that if I didn't help it would die anyways, out of every peep that I helped, every single one is doing fine.

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[emvickrey]

I have helped out several. Most of the reasons are the humidity was too low and they got stuck to the shell and couldn't get out. I have had only a few die. The last one was a new experience, a learning experience. It had peeped through a vein and hadn lost alot of blood. With the help and advice of BYC'ers Nugget is still alive and well. I was calling him a she until the jury was in and she is a he after all. He was a first egg from a young hen and he isn't as active as the others but he eats, drinks and poops just like the others and is growing at the same pace. I suspect there is an internal something or another that in't just right. I'm guessing the heart. He will be around until he goes to the great chicken coop in the sky. I don't think he shouldbe used for breeding as he is mixed anyway and has something wrong. That doesn't need to be passed along.

I helped one out that still had yolk attached. With advice from our friends here, it made it just fine. So it's really up to you on how you want to handle it. I figure they all deserve a chance at life. If they don't make it then it was meant to be but I have to at least give them that chance. I do what I can to keep them alive. If my efforst fail. it was just meant to be. something wasn't right enough.

 

[adrian]

In my opinion, a chick should be helped, but only as a last resort, and only by a knowledgeable person. I've had my fair share of tragedy because of this, on both sides of the spectrum. I believe not always will it be the chicks fault it is not able to hatch: often it is our short-fallings because we are not hens.