This is agonizing

[knotty]

Quote:
Thank you.
Have you ever helped out a chick? I'm thinking that maybe just gently cracking the shell without removing the pieces might help.
Do mother hens ever help a chick hatch?

 

[knotty]

I'm just looking for some friendly advice. I want to make it clear that I won't have any hard feelings if the advice doesn't pan out. I'm just asking what you would do.

 

[champer]

I'm only on day 7 on my very first hatch, so I have no experience. I believe there is a sticky at the top of this forum that discusses "helping". I'll see if I can find it for you.

 

[champer]

Try reading this link https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=9316 it's a how-to for helping the chick out. I'd be inclined to try it.

 

[knotty]

Quote:
Thank you very much. I'll head there now.

 

[quintinp]

Quote:
I am guessing you got the Rcom Mini incubator. I have one, and I don't really mind it. It does everything for me. And as for humidity, you don't have to mess with it. It keeps humidity extremely well. I would leave the chick alone. I know of one time that a chick was being really slow about hatching, so I started making a peeping noise outside of the incubator.(By the way I did this in my room, so I wouldn't look like a wierdo in front of the whole family.) But as I made all of the noise the chick really started rocking in it's shell. It got out within 15 minutes after. I watched the whole thing.

 

[knotty]

Quote:
The incubator was the most inexpensive one I found online. I don't have any way of monitoring the humidity and the thermometer is a little thing that just balances on top of the eggs.
After reading the recommended thread, a couple of things stood out.
Someone said that they have seen chicks take up to 48 hours from the first pip. I'm guessing that means the first little hole in the shell.
Someone else said that the membrane of brown eggs dry out more readily than white ones. My egg is a brown and the exposed membrane is very white.
The consensus seems to be to leave it alone.

I think I'll go start peeping to it now.

 

[Christie Rhae]

Eek. I am firmly against intervening but I will be honest... After 30 hours I am cracking that shell open... I can't watch something die in front of me if there is something I could do to help.

 

[quintinp]

Yeah, if it is very white, I would try to help it out.

 

[knotty]

That is what has me concerned. I'm afraid that the humidity is wrong and that the chick is going to die because I was too cheap to buy a decent incubator. I believe in leaving things to nature but the whole incubating thing is sort of messing with nature anyway as far as I can tell.
I'm afraid I've already screwed up with the humidity thing and that I might be screwing up again by not intervening now.