HELP!! - Should I help this chick out?

[mspj]

I am on day 21 of incubation, the first egg pipped yesterday morning at 8 am. I have had 2 complete by themselves, the first one is still alive, it pipped close to the small end away from the air cell, I thought maybe it had drowned (it has been well over 24 hours from pipping). I am now seeing movement at the very small pip, the little things keeps sticking its beak out!

Should I help or should I wait longer? Help!!

 

[Catfish267]

paitence.....

 

[wolfandfinch]

Wait, I'm glad I did. They can take quite a while from pip to zip. One of mine took 30 hours. The other hatched three hours after pipping! Another I did help, you can see why on my other page.

 

[mspj]

Thanks for the responses, I will wait!

 

[LTygress]

As long as he is still moving this much later, despite pipping on the wrong end, he should be okay.

If/when he starts to chirp A LOT, then he's ready to zip. If you hear that for a while but don't see any new cracks in the shell, then you can help. A zipping chick almost never shuts up! In the past year, I think I've only had two that hatched quietly, and I have been incubating CONSTANTLY.

 

[mspj]

He's out! and I didn't have to help. Resting between sessions of trying to stand, these things are just so darn cute!!!!
And my grandkids got to watch, an experience they will never forget.