Question about assisting in hatch

[Ariel301]

I've got a turkey egg hatching and I am anticipating having to help this one out, as I've had so many problems with them so far. I've never assisted in getting a live one out of its shell, only broken in to look at dead ones.

My question for you that have helped them before is, how do you start breaking into the shell? This one is pipped into his air cell, but has not pipped externally. I am giving him plenty of time to do so first, but if he doesn't within a reasonable time, I want to get in there and help him out. I know about keeping the membrane moist and not breaking blood vessels, just wondering how to get into the shell without hurting him. These are really thick hard shells, when I have cracked other of the turkey eggs for eating, it took a good solid whack against the edge of a metal bowl, and sometimes takes a few tries, they are so hard. I'm pretty sure the poult is still alive, and has so far been in his air cell about 24 hours with no sign of an external pip. Two other eggs made it to lockdown with him, but have shown no signs of even internal pipping, so I am not hopeful about them at all.

 

[The Egg Bandit]

What I have done with my chicken eggs is use a very small, sharp-ended nail (sometimes called a brad), and a small hammer to very carefully tap into the air cell at the end. My chickens' eggs are very strong, but probably not as strong as your turkey eggs, so it may not work for you. It is challenging to hold the egg and brad in one hand while tapping the hammer with the other, but if someone holds the egg for me I don't seem to have as good a sense of how hard to hit with the hammer. After I have a hole, I then use tweezers to slowly pry off bits of shell as needed. Maybe this might work for your turkey eggs.

 

[Ariel301]

I usually do something like that when opening up dead ones, but was afraid of stabbing the poult! I'll have to find something really, really short.

How long should I give him before doing anything? It's been around 24 hours since he internally pipped.

 

[emvickrey]

I usually wait 24 hours before I help any out unless they seem to be in trouble. Then I step in right away. What I use to get into an egg is a metal finger nail file. One with a pointy end and I start with where the egg is pipped at and chip away the shell around the air cell, then I go back to where it's head is and make a hole very carefully if there isn't one already and peal the white thin layer the same direction. When I get it open I lay the egg down and let it push itself out.

I don't know what that thin white layer is called besides membrane. I"m not sure it that is what that part is called but that is how I get them out. Sometimes when I have to assist they bleed from where the cord was after they get it off. I just hold a little pressure there till it stops.

 

[Ariel301]

Well, I think I am going to go ahead and help this one in a bit. Wish me luck!