Should i have helped sooner?

[lynnii33]

Hi i incubated 5 eggs, 2 of them hatched out healthy on the 24th day. one of the other eggs started pipping the same day (this egg was tiny compared to the others which always made me concerned) a day after that zipping, this morning the membrane was black their was no movement or cheeping so i decided to try to help get it out, when i did it was dead. I really feel bad, should i have tried to get it out sooner? i just didn't know what to do for the best or why it died. The humidity dropped to 57% for about 3 hrs during lockdown, could this be it? I feel like i,ve let it die

I,ve got 2 eggs left in incubator now with no movement or cheeping its the 26th day what do you think i should do

 

[oesdog]

DO A WATER TEST!!!!!!!
There is a sticky on here about it and intervention in hatching.

I had two chicks last year who were hatched on day 27 and day 28 - I was litterally about to throw them and there was a tiny hole and a little beak - both these needed hand hatched!!!!! The last chick out on day 28 was extremely weak and just lay for 12 hrs and didn;t move at all. Both those chicks survived and are now rehomed as they are both Roosters at a petting farm. One legbar and one Maran. There is still hope for your eggs but seriously I would DO THE WATER TEST!!!!!! I wouldn't keep an egg longer than 30 days as if its off it probably will explode and that is not very nice believe me!!!!! Some folk say ditch them after 25 days but since I got live hatches after that I would say 30 days especially if you don;t think the Temp in the Incubator was high enough as that delays development. If the humidity is too high the chicks can drown.

DO use the stickys about intervention and the water testing - water testing is very safe and used a lot on rare breed birds of all sorts!!!

Intervention
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=9316

water test
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=383525

Oesdog

good luck! don't beat yourself up either about the chicks it happens - I lost loads on my first try!!!!