Should I attempt assisted hatching?

[ComradeQuedtions]

How's the chick doing? It's been a while since you first posted, and even back then it was a while since the chick pipped. If it's not out by now I'd be worried. The membrane does look very dry in that first picture. When they've been externally pipped for a while but take too long to make progress, the membrane can start drying out, and the inside of the egg can start drying out from the egg being open for so long, making it difficult for the chick to maneuver and hatch.

A chick needing assistance isn't necessarily a sign that there's something wrong with it. Those who claim "nature knows best" and that it's a natural process of weeding out of the weak, forget one key factor here - the whole process of hatching eggs in a human-made machine, is artificial and entirely dependent on the machine and the human. How you set the temperature, the humidity, how reliable the incubator is, how you handle the eggs, etc. - those are all external factors that have nothing to do with the health of the egg. A whole lot of health problems in chicks, as well as poor hatch outcomes, stem from improper incubation conditions, not from genetics. So, I'd understand the argument if we were talking about a broody hatching the eggs in a natural setting, but the moment humans step in and move the process into a machine, we can't blame poor outcomes on nature alone anymore.

This is the clearest photo I could take, i dont know if you can see its beak sticking out, it’s been like that since my first initial post

 

[ComradeQuedtions]

Is it chirping louder to quieter to louder? Or is it fading? I would wait 24 hours before assisting, but trust your gut as well. I assisted once unnecessarily which actually hurt my chick ( she got shrinkwrapped). If you are going to assist I would recommend that you read through the articles on this site and watch some videos as well before you do.

I have been, and yeah the chirping is consistent volume wise but it does more wiggling than chirping

 

[SmiYa0126]

I wouldn't take anymore shell off like it looks like it was taken off, if you're assisting the shell should be taken off right to left, don't make the whole bigger. I really can't stress enough that you should read through the articles on this site and then watch some videos.

 

[ComradeQuedtions]

I wouldn't take anymore shell off like it looks like it was taken off, if you're assisting the shell should be taken off right to left, don't make the whole bigger. I really can't stress enough that you should read through the articles on this site and then watch some videos.

I have been watching videos. The ones I’ve seen so far they completely removed the outer shell but I’m not comfortable doing that.

 

[K0k0shka]

This is the clearest photo I could take, i dont know if you can see its beak sticking out, it’s been like that since my first initial post

So the chick has made no progress in what seems to be over 41 hours now? I think at this point the chick is unable to finish the hatch on its own, and will need assistance. I see that you have removed some shell, but that has only exposed more membrane, which has dried out and gotten papery, and is probably stuck to the chick. You need to go all in at this point, and remove all of the shell and all of the membrane. I don't see any veins, so the chick has probably finished absorbing the blood. Start by gently peeling the shell off first, making sure to keep the membrane intact. Once the shell is gone, take a warm, wet washcloth and gently dab the membrane until it has been re-hydrated and is no longer dry. Really saturate it until it's soft and pliable again, and start gently removing it from the chick. You'll need to re-saturate it as you work, maybe leave some sections wet for a bit so they can loosen up if they're really stuck. Once you have removed the membrane completely, put the chick back in the incubator to warm up and dry off, and monitor it. I've done this many times and the chicks survived and grew up. Good luck!

 

[ComradeQuedtions]

So the chick has made no progress in what seems to be over 41 hours now? I think at this point the chick is unable to finish the hatch on its own, and will need assistance. I see that you have removed some shell, but that has only exposed more membrane, which has dried out and gotten papery, and is probably stuck to the chick. You need to go all in at this point, and remove all of the shell and all of the membrane. I don't see any veins, so the chick has probably finished absorbing the blood. Start by gently peeling the shell off first, making sure to keep the membrane intact. Once the shell is gone, take a warm, wet washcloth and gently dab the membrane until it has been re-hydrated and is no longer dry. Really saturate it until it's soft and pliable again, and start gently removing it from the chick. You'll need to re-saturate it as you work, maybe leave some sections wet for a bit so they can loosen up if they're really stuck. Once you have removed the membrane completely, put the chick back in the incubator to warm up and dry off, and monitor it. I've done this many times and the chicks survived and grew up. Good luck!

And in this instance if I do remove the shell and I see signs of veins then I just leave it be right?

 

[SmiYa0126]

So the chick has made no progress in what seems to be over 41 hours now? I think at this point the chick is unable to finish the hatch on its own, and will need assistance. I see that you have removed some shell, but that has only exposed more membrane, which has dried out and gotten papery, and is probably stuck to the chick. You need to go all in at this point, and remove all of the shell and all of the membrane. I don't see any veins, so the chick has probably finished absorbing the blood. Start by gently peeling the shell off first, making sure to keep the membrane intact. Once the shell is gone, take a warm, wet washcloth and gently dab the membrane until it has been re-hydrated and is no longer dry. Really saturate it until it's soft and pliable again, and start gently removing it from the chick. You'll need to re-saturate it as you work, maybe leave some sections wet for a bit so they can loosen up if they're really stuck. Once you have removed the membrane completely, put the chick back in the incubator to warm up and dry off, and monitor it. I've done this many times and the chicks survived and grew up. Good luck!

I haven't seen any articles saying to remove all the shell, it's right to left (like a chick would peep) and then there's two layers of membrane, moisten the outer layer, peel that layer off and then there will be another layer around the chick, if that is stuck to chick, you'll need to carefully remove that, again right to left.

When I say right to left, so that there is a cap in the egg like it looks like when a chick hatches on its own.

Here's a great video

 

[K0k0shka]

And in this instance if I do remove the shell and I see signs of veins then I just leave it be right?

At the first sight of fresh veins (that still have blood in them), stop peeling, cover all exposed membrane with coconut oil (to prevent it from drying out further), and give it some more time.

 

[K0k0shka]

I haven't seen any articles saying to remove all the shell, it's right to left (like a chick would peep) and then there's two layers of membrane, moisten the outer layer, peel that layer off and then there will be another layer around the chick, if that is stuck to chick, you'll need to carefully remove that, again right to left.

When I say right to left, so that there is a cap in the egg like it looks like when a chick hatches on its own.

If the point is to remove everything, then the direction and the presence or absence of a cap doesn't matter in the slightest. I can see how it would matter if the chick had started zipping, and you only wanted to help the zipping part of the process, in the direction the chick knows to turn. But that's only if you are expecting the chick to complete the zip. This chick here doesn't seem to be doing anything though, it hasn't even started to zip, so creating a partial zip in the proper direction is unlikely to achieve anything, if the chick has dried stuck and can't move. I think after 41 hours, we're past the point where this chick can do a zip on its own, even with help, and it needs to have the shell and membrane removed entirely. And if we're removing everything, then the direction and pattern don't matter at all. Once you start peeling, you'll only see one membrane on the chick. The other one isn't visible (it's stuck to the inside of the shell). So you're really only peeling one membrane.

 

[SmiYa0126]

That wasn't my experience with a shrink wrapped chick. I still allowed her to push out once I did the left to right chip while checking the membrane.