Hatching: Again, to help or not to help?

Kool-Kemp

Chirping
Dec 9, 2022
73
178
81
North Texas
This is one of the two survivors out of 36 old eggs I set in the incubator.
Today is their day# 22.
This one pips in the morning, poke a pretty large hole but stuck at that for half a day. I reached in and found out the fluid came out from the egg kinda glued the egg to the paper towel I placed under the egg. So I separated the egg from the paper towel and placed it upward (hole up). Since then, the chick has chirped hard but has not been able to zip yet (10 hours from pip now).
So, I peeled a bit of shell off it (half of the hole in the pic is what I helped peel).
Now I’m kinda scared of continuing to help. She is still chirping loudly. But for some reasons doesn’t get out of the shell yet.
I love to attach a video clip here so you hear her chirp, but don’t know how, seems like you can only do pictures.
Please help tell me what to do. Thank you.
 

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Is she shrink wrapped? I can’t tell if the membrane under the shell is gone? Personally i would gently chip away more shell (without interfering with the membrane and then put some coconut oil on the membrane to check for any veins
 
Is she shrink wrapped? I can’t tell if the membrane under the shell is gone? Personally i would gently chip away more shell (without interfering with the membrane and then put some coconut oil on the membrane to check for any veins
I peeled the shell and the membrane is still there, except where she originally poked a hole thru the membrane when she piped. But I don’t see any blood, all look blackish or white/grey-ish. Still chirping loudly very frequently, which makes me even more anxious to help her. But I have stopped helping since I posted this. It’s around 12 hours from piping now.
 
I peeled the shell and the membrane is still there, except where she originally poked a hole thru the membrane when she piped. But I don’t see any blood, all look blackish or white/grey-ish. Still chirping loudly very frequently, which makes me even more anxious to help her. But I have stopped helping since I posted this. It’s around 12 hours from piping now.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/guide-to-assisted-hatching-for-all-poultry.72886/

I’m going to direct you to this article as there’s some really good advice here as to when, if, how you should help out.
Some do just take a little longer. Fingers crossed!
 
Is the chick opening and closing its mouth (other than peeping). If so it is not ready to hatch. Are there any veins that are still visible? If so it may not be ready to hatch. If you still think it is ready and needs help read the article and go slow.
 
This is how it looks right now, big hole, but she’s just staying in there chirping.
I used the Q-tip and applied some olive oil (I don’t have coconut oil handy) in the membrane and it doesn’t show any blood veins.
I see that most of the time it uses the beak trying to poke out instead of opening or closing.
 

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It sounds like the chick is malpositioned. It is always hard to know what will be best. If it were mine I would chip like you have been doing than leave it to work on its own. If it didn't make any progress in an hour or so then I'd chip a little more and then leave it again. Once it makes progress on its own then I would stop helping and let it finish on its own.
 
Is the chick opening and closing its mouth (other than peeping). If so it is not ready to hatch. Are there any veins that are still visible? If so it may not be ready to hatch. If you still think it is ready and needs help read the article and go slow.
Thank you! I’ll wait for a couple more hours and see.
 
I really find it amazing that something so small and fragile when it emerges can get out of something like an egg. I sometimes have trouble cracking and opening fresh eggs for breakfast but these little fuzzy butts cut their own way out.
 

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