Should I help the chick out... need help quick!

[tmb3fan]

I had 6 eggs in bator to hatch yesterday or today. Well 5 hatched yesterday and the last one has been peeping inside the shell since yesterday but hasn't pipped. I am worried that he is going to run out of air and die. Should I make a small crack somewhere to get him started?

 

[rebelcowboysnb]

Because hes the last egg you wouldn't be endangering the others by opening the incubator. So yea you could tap a air hole in it an then put it back. misting hot water in the bator to get the humidity back.

 

[Snakeoil]

On the other side of the coin, I never help a chick out, if he is strong enough he will make it if not he won't.

 

[onthespot]

most of the ones that couldn't hatch, that I helped out of the shell, seem to die a month later of no obvious cause, fine one day, dead the next morning.

 

[Knight Hawk Ranch]

I have helped several out of the shell. Some made it a day or so, one made it 3 days and died for no apparant reason.

 

[onthespot]

some I have helped out have just been stuck due to humidity problems. You can help it out, but don't be surprised if it isn't a vigorous chick. Be surprised if it is.

 

[cowman910]

Quote:
there probably is a good reason why the chicks didnt pip yet and if he was a strong healthy chick then he would of made it out on his own.

 

[onthespot]

I am still in my learning curve phase of incubating and have tried various humidities, some with disastrous or partial disastrous results, and managed to save some that went on to be regular chickens. A dry egg is different from a defective, weak chick. If you know your temps and humidity has been off, or you had a bad temps spike, that is differrent from things humming along just about right and some don't hatch. Also, in the still air, there are areas of the incubator that are cooler than others, and that chick might just be a late hatcher. Sometimes I have ones that hatch two days after the others, because of still air, and those are usually the ones stuck to the shell that might make it. Ones that pip early and don't hatch, or peep and don't pip early, I don't try to help.