As long as it is moving and making noise on a reg basis to indicate it is going strong, leave it alone. I too assist, when to assist is not always clear so you will need to make a jusdgement. I will rip the cap off and make the poult or chick do the rest of the work. In my experience the legg movement to push and shove and turn is vital to proper leg function post hatch. ( I don't carefully chip the shell to mimic the zipping, I just rip the cap off.) Sometimes they get glued due to drying and need futher assistance to get out. THen I give a little PT. KEep us posted. and good luck!!This is my first turkey hatch, so I have a question about assisting...
I had one hatch early yesterday morning, then another was pipped by 8:30 AM. My bator is at work, so I stopped in to check on it and found the pip. I have a webcam, but I can only get it to see 1 or two eggs at a time through the window of my bator. I set it on the egg with the pip and watched it all day long. It took until late evening for it to pop out a small 1/4" section of shell and has done nothing since. I think I can see its little beak poking out, but the camera pic isn't really clear through the bator window and the hole is near the down side of the egg. The egg next to it (about 3/4 out of my picture) is hatching right now and hadn't even pipped as of noon yesterday... Should I help the pipped egg or let her work it out on her own? If she were a chicken, I would have helped her by now... I'm going to stop in to check on them before I go to church this morning, so any quick advice would be great!
Thanks!!!