should I help it hatch?

[smallfarmer]

I have some ameracauna chickens that laid fertile eggs. I collected them, placed them under my orpington hens with their own eggs. The first hatched fine but was dead in one day. My husband thought the hen accidentally stepped on it. After seeing her trying to kill an ameracauna chick that had just hatched I think she probably killed the first one too. I found another dead one and removed 3 unhatched eggs. I rescued the chick and put it in a cage with a couple of orp chicks for company. One egg was almost enfirely gone, the chick was inside the membrane which I removed (thinking it was dead). It was alive so I put it under the warming lamp. it seems to be fine. I placed my remaining 3 eggs under the warming lamp and one of them hatched. The second egg is making peeping sounds and had an area where the chick had started to peck out. I peeled a small amount off the egg. I am wondering if I should help this chick as well. I am worried that it will become dehydrated in the shell and I don't have an incubatore....what should I do? Leave it alone or help it out of it's shell? Rebecca

 

[DANNY]

Spray it with warm water and let it do the work.

 

[smallfarmer]

spraying the shell will help with humidity?

 

[cjeanean]

Quote:
helps to soften the membrane....and increase humidity a bit. That's why it needs to be humid in the bator, cause otherwise the membrane will dry out and the chick won't be able to hatch....

 

[smallfarmer]

I just put a damp paper towel around both eggs together...they are both hatching now...I dampened the spot where I picked off some of the shell before I got online (about a dime size area, the membrane is still intact) if I keep this small spot of membrane from drying out and keep them in a damp towel under the heat lamp do you think they'll be okay?