To help or not to help?

[redhd077]

I know i am going to get mixed opinions of this, but I'm not sure what to do. I have an egg (had 8 others hatch) that pipped yesterday afternoon some time and started to(kinda) zip yesterday evening. It made a pretty good sized hole..big enough to get its beak clear out and you can see one eye. That's it. It hasn't progressed. Its head also looks like its upside down. The position its in now i don't see how it can finish unzipping. Last night there look to be some blood by its beak and eye, but its gone today.


The humidity was down alittle when I noticed the hole ( this is the last one) so i got the humidity up to 77. I'm not sure if i should help or just wait.

 

[Megan Amber]

You seem to be aware of the risks of helping to hatch and with that said I would honestly slowly go for it. What I would do, because you can see no blood, is I would slowly begin to pick away the shell around it in the same way it would unzip. Do it slow and if he starts to bleed, wrap a paper towel around him and wait a few hours, then try again. Is it a duck or a chicken? Silly me can't tell! Let us know what happens!

 

[annanimal]

Well, i am not to sure myself, if the membrane is dry than you should probably help him. In the picture it sort of looks like he got his head stuck in the shell so i dont think he can get out on his own. Is he peeping at all? I think you should help him and if anyone disagrees, well you can, but that chick looks like it is not coming out of that egg on its own. Here is a site that helped me a lot: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/9316/intervention-helping-your-chicks-hatch. Please keep me posted.

 

[redhd077]

It is a chicken and he it is peeping and when i turn on the light or peep at it it moves alittle.

 

[Megan Amber]

Okay so then yeah I would help him a little at a time, it's good he still has some energy, just go slow and yeah I agree, it doesn't look like he is in a good position to come out completely on his own, BUT I wouldn't hatch him out all at once, even if there is no blood, after you d o some see if he can do anymore on his own.

 

[annanimal]

Well he is probably pretty tired at this point and you got 2/2 votes so i say go for it, right Megan Amber? Your opinion counts to though, so if you are nervous dont do it and if you think you should wait a bit more you should because we are only giving advise from a picture that we saw.

 

[Megan Amber]

Well he is probably pretty tired at this point and you got 2/2 votes so i say go for it, right Megan Amber? Your opinion counts to though, so if you are nervous dont do it and if you think you should wait a bit more you should because we are only giving advise from a picture that we saw.

Exactly, I agree!

 

[A.T. Hagan]

What I would do is get a mister and LIGHTLY spray the egg and the area around it then close the box up again. Wait a couple of hours and see if the increased humidity makes its situation easier. It may yet hatch on its own.

If after the hours are up it still hasn't progressed then if you just gotta you can slowly, gently peel the shell away until its head is free and see how it looks from there. I must tell you though if eight others hatched and this one hasn't managed it then if it wasn't shrink wrapped from the humidity being too low there was a reason why it wasn't getting out.

 

[redhd077]

well the other 8 hatched before this one started. I didn't think it was going to hatch and so i didn't watch the humidty to much, and then suprize! What is a mister? Just spray some warm water?

 

[annanimal]

What I would do is get a mister and LIGHTLY spray the egg and the area around it then close the box up again. Wait a couple of hours and see if the increased humidity makes its situation easier. It may yet hatch on its own.

If after the hours are up it still hasn't progressed then if you just gotta you can slowly, gently peel the shell away until its head is free and see how it looks from there. I must tell you though if eight others hatched and this one hasn't managed it then if it wasn't shrink wrapped from the humidity being too low there was a reason why it wasn't getting out.

He wasnt getting out because the silly little guy got his head stuck in the shell and at this point he is so squished in the egg that he can not put it back in the egg and continue zipping.