Two late hatchers...when to help?

[stefshens]

Two late hatchers. The first one pipped at 2 am, the other about noon today. Day 21 was Friday @ 9pm. Will they hatch? Should I help? 15 others finished last night when 1st late hatcher pipped at 2 am.

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[stefshens]

 

[toynutz]

Just completed my first hatch and had 3 with funny zips. I left them alone for 12-14 hours... maybe a bit longer, but they didn't make any progress, so I decided to assist them. I'm glad I did, I don't think they would've made it otherwise... and they are happy and healthy.

 

[Titanpaul726]

If you've waited 10-12 hrs. and no progress is being made, get to helping.

I help whenever I get the urge, no matter how long they've been pipping. Sometimes though, that can actually hurt rather than help.

 

[aaronclements8]

I don't help my chicks. I know that seems a little inhumane but I don't want those genes passing down to other chicks and I have actually experienced first hand that helping chicks can make them bleed to death in your hands which is not something I want to go through again but that's just me

 

[Titanpaul726]

I agree. The chicks I hatch aren't for breeding purposes, they're for eating purposes. So genetic quirks aren't really an issue for me. If I was hatching for breeders, I would do the same as you though. And I don't think it's inhumane at all to not help. That's just nature.

Choosing to help though, can actually help sometimes.

 

[aaronclements8]

You've even got to be really careful when helping even if you're only using them for meat. The hatching process is what makes the chick strong. If the chick can't hatch by itself it is very likely that it will be smaller than the others and much weaker and can fall prey to being pecked to death by coop mates. In my personal opinion I would say never help a chick hatch no matter the conditions.

 

[Titanpaul726]

I've helped dozens of them. The vast majority did fine. A few died a few hours after hatch and a very few died within a few minutes. I had the same concerns as you when I started. I found though, that helping a chick (when needed) wasn't a guaranteed death sentence and I was actually able to "save" them. It takes some experience to know when to help and when not to help. Either way, if you own them, and want to help them, I see no problem with it. It's really the only way to learn.

There are very few absolute "rights" and "wrongs" in hatching chickens.

 

[aaronclements8]

He is right they can make it and it all comes down to personal preference. Some will make it but if you're into hatching for breeding purposes don't help but it's up to you whether to help or not

 

[Titanpaul726]

My wife would start breaking eggs open as soon as they pip if I didn't guard the incubator with a golf club!! She's just convinced the little guys aren't going to make it!