It's perfectly okay! Take a deep breath and relax. They often poke that first hole to get a good air supply, and then go back to sleep. Hatching is very hard business and expends a ton of effort. They get tired and need to rest, that's all. You should see zipping begin within 24 hours after that first external pip.
Thank you haha my husband is teasing me for watching them through the incubator window so much haha! He says I wasn't even this anxious when I was the one waiting to have our baby
It's my first time ever having babies from an animal I raised myself so they're a special bunch to me!
Oh my goodness, you do NOT want the membrane to dry out! Moisten it with some coconut oil or mineral oil on a Q-tip. Keep it in the incubator, with the humidity set to 70-80%. I'd very carefully prick a hole in the membrane where the beak is located to help him breathe. Carefully, so you don't sever a blood vessel.
I've got 15 in lockdown! 2 hatched around 245 am. No other signs of piping from the others. Air sack is huge, but I'm not seeing much movement. I candles to check because two days ago we lost power for 2 hours and it got down to 78 in the broaders. Is it like human pregnancy that close to birth movement is slow?
