Help! Should I intervene??

[Sivory]

Hello!
I need some advice, this little bantam Orpington chick started hatching about 24hours ago, maybe 20 hours ago from when I noticed the initial Pip.

It’s not gotten far but I can hear it in there chirping.
Should I help! I’ve helped in other batches and I really don’t want to open this incubator.
This sounds silly, but it’s currently 12pm, I start work at 2 and finish at 11pm tonight, I was thinking if it didn’t get any further I’d help it once I get home from work.

Whenever I do help, it’s always only ever so slightly so the chick does most of the work, and I’m really paranoid because I’ve had plenty in the past where I was adamant that I wouldn’t help, and they’ve died in the shell and when I’ve opened the shell they are perfect & I wished I had helped.
Urgh! Such a fine line!

I’m just concerned because this one has taken so long and not gotten very far at all.

 

[CloneFly]

@Eggcessive

 

[Chicken_tiger_catt]

You sound like you know what you are doing

 

[GirlsHuntToo]

Although some clearer pictures will help, it seems the chick is zipping. Zipping is the final step. If it is still peeping there’s a good chance it will hatch on its own. The only thing worrying me is that amount of time the check has taken already.
I would start to assist, moving across the egg, just like making a zip. If you run into blood, stop and put the egg back in he incubator. If no blood, keep going.
We can only hope that the chick is not attached to the egg and that there is no yolk hanging out.

 

[Sivory]

Now well past 24 hours, still not moved at all so I’ve started to help by removing the shell with the membrane kept in tack. Baby is still chirping loudly but I’m very nervous to harm any blood vessels, what are your thoughts on this photo?

 

[Sivory]

Not sure if these blood vessels look a big too big to be ready? It’s been a solid 30 hours now, would they have been absorbed by now?

 

[Eggcessive]

I am sorry about the egg, but I have limited hatching experience. My chicks did not live on the 2 that I helped. It is hard to watch them try to get out of the shell, but for various reasons, I learned not to assist, since those chicks died or were weak, and then died. I hope that you were successful in helping.

 

[Sivory]

Thanks all for your help! After these last photos I continued to ‘zip’ for her, leaving the membrane intact and just removing the egg, I did about 3/4 and put her back in the incubator at 1am, so slowly removing the egg for her over 2 hours, she was still trying really hard to get out so I put her back in the incubator to keep trying/intervene as little as possible.
After I removed the egg, it looked like she missed her air sac, she was in a very strange stop.
Happy ending though, I woke up at 5am prior to leaving for work again to help more if needed and she’d managed to get herself out. Only just, she looks very wet & tired so it did take her quite a bit longer, but she is fine.
Thank you all again for your hell