Hatching help! May need to intervene?

[AlixS]

This lil duck has been in this position for several hours. Should I wait a while longer or try to help it out?

 

[AmyLynn2374]

This lil duck has been in this position for several hours. Should I wait a while longer or try to help it out?

In that position I'd help. Looks like it tried zipping and got a little discombobulated.

 

[FridayYet]

Is there broken shell on both sides? If there are no veins, you might want to help a little by connecting the breaks and see if it will kick out.

 

[AlixS]

Thanks for your thoughts!! That's kind of what I was thinking, but never had this happen before. Gonna try to help him out a lil.

 

[AlixS]

So, I have helped to peel away the shell where he tried to zip... The membrane seems dry so I have moistened it pretty well and stuck the egg back in the incubator. I am planning To keep checking and re moistening the membrane every so often in hopes he can break out on its own. Any other tips or suggestions?

 

[FridayYet]

Sounds like you are on the right track. Waiting and watching gives him time to rest.

Are there veins in the membrane that you can see? Is the duckling struggling to get out? (moving?) You may need to tear/cut the membrane along the zip line if you think it has gotten leathery.

If he's stuck, and can't move much, you'll probably have to help a little more to free him since he might not be able to spin to slice the membrane by himself..

 

[AlixS]

It doesn't seem that there are veins in the membrane. Leathery is the right word. Seems pretty dry and tough. There is a beak and a leg sticking out. He's been squirming around. It just seems as if he can't push out. has been like this all day, I noticed around 1:30 this afternoon, so imagining it pipped quite a bit earlier.

 

[FridayYet]

I'd go ahead and cut the membrane, a little at a time. You can lift it up with tweezers and cut it with tiny sharp scissors or even the tip of a pocketknife or scalpel. just a little at a time, watch for bleeding, and keep moistening the membrane.

 

[Kate85]

I have 2 eggs with chicks alive in them. They have been in the incubator 24 days. I decided to help them and make a whole for them. I noticed the membrane is white like it shrink wrapped. I put warm water on it with a q tip wrapped them in a damp towel and put them back in the incubator. They keep drying our tho! My humidity is in the 80s. The pic is of the one where the veins are thicker. What should i do?

 

[FridayYet]

Poor thing is nowhere near ready to come out with veins like that. Maybe your temperature was too low during incubation?

Not sure what to tell you, since I never try to assist unless the chick has pipped. Try reading this article, and good luck!

https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/step-by-step-guide-to-assisted-hatching