Should I assist or no?

[Tokajein]

So I got my first two hatchlings two days late(hatched yesterday) I have about five eggs that are pipped, one of which isn't making any progress. It pipped about two days ago. Today I checked to see if the chick was still alive, and it is. But I am concerned if it will die from dehydration, or starvation from being inside the egg too long. Any advice?

 

[TheRealTimShady]

my general rule is never interfere. I helped a chick hatch one, and he ended up dying anyway. I just let mother nature do its thing.

 

[Tokajein]

Alright. makes me sad, but you are probably right. Natural selection. And who knows maybe it will be able to hatch on its own. I assisted a chicken eggs hatch before. It was slightly deformed, lived for about five months, then died of a stroke :c

 

[mochicken]

I am a bad one to give advice because I help chicks all the time, quail and chicken but if you do assist you have to be prepared to accept the fact that you may kill the chick trying. With quail I give them about 19 days, most of mine hatch on day 17, on the 19th day alot of the time I will break eggs open to see how many fully developed chicks died in the egg to see if I need to do something different during incubation. I almost always find a live chick in there, some have the yolk fully absorbed and live and some have the yolk sack still hooked and unabsorbed, I'm not sure if they just progress slower due to their location in the incubator or what, never figured it out but some of the ones that do absorb their yolk will live.

 

[Fat Daddy]

I am a bad one to give advice because I help chicks all the time, quail and chicken but if you do assist you have to be prepared to accept the fact that you may kill the chick trying.  With quail I give them about 19 days,  most of mine hatch on day 17, on the 19th day alot of the time I will break eggs open to see how many fully developed chicks died in the egg to see if I need to do something different during incubation.   I almost always find a live chick in there,  some have the yolk fully absorbed and live and some have the yolk sack still hooked and unabsorbed,  I'm not sure if they just progress slower due to their location in the incubator or what, never figured it out but some of the ones that do absorb their yolk will live.

+ 1 Got to agree with Mo here... This is a "Touchy" subject... Gonna have folks that feel strong on both sides of it... And no one is completely "right"...I think the trick is know'n when to help. There's a difference between "help'n" and "break'n them out"... If a chicks been pipped thru the shell and you can see he's "shrink wrapped" this chick can likely be saved. If he never does more than crack the shell and quits. Well that's just a weak chick or atleast has other issues...

I'v read it said alot over the years, that we should " let nature take its course"... Well that ship already sailed when we put these eggs in the bator. We either hold temp and humidity at proper levels and they hatch fine. Or we may "screw the pooch" along the way. Then we can either do our best to save what we can. Or just let'em die... While I have helped chicks that die, and likely killed some by helping. I have saved alot of chicks that would not have made it... Bill

 

[CorinneP]

People feel very strongly on this subject and with incubating all together.. You will read a lot of NEVERS and Always .. In my opinion there is a little more give .. After 24 hours of a chick having pipped I would my self gently help it unzip its shell .. I have had very good luck doing this after much research how .. But that is me ..

 

[Tokajein]

Well I waited another day then decided to help it since it was still alive. It wasn't zipping correctly. Turns out it was in its egg wrong. I had four eggs like that(I have never had any breaches before, so it was strange)I have only lost one chick so far, but that one didn't even get out of its egg. It started zipping then, all of a sudden it stopped. I took it out of its shell once I realized it was dead. It looked fine(except the fact it was dead) No idea why it died. One of my breached chicks was crazy, it couldn't zip, so it just pecked a hole in the egg big enough for it to get out of. That was one determined chick!

 

[meschelelaisav]

Personally I think you did the right thing..I know there are many others who disagree and think it should be a natural process. I'm just not one that can sit and see something so tiny and helpless struggle like that....hope all your new babies are doing well!

 

[CorinneP]

I Would not have been able to not help at that stage either, But don't beat your self up if they don't make it they were obviously to weak to get out any way so they wouldn't have made it with out your assist. Was the egg yolk all absorbed ? any bleeding ? I always feel comforted if I assist and their wasn't blood and the yolk was absorbed I feel justified in helping. the guilt comes and it has if I assist and their is blood or a lot of yolk unabsorbed then I have to deal with the fact I probably assisted too soon .. My New rule after a few mistakes for myself is a chick must Pip or be at least 24 hours past hatching of the others .. If A Chick pips at the wrong end I am quicker to assist but always slowly and in stages trying to allow the chick to do as much as possible by them selves. I hope the ones you helped make it ..

 

[Tokajein]

Yup, tthe chicks I helped were all the way developed, no blood. I actually only had one bloody egg. And that one hatched completely on its own(it took about two minutes to hatch, funny because the two minutes started right when it made its pip.) I did lose one chick this morning, but it wasn't one I helped, not quite sure what happened. :c