What does a chick pushing out look like

[stacemck]

So it has now been over 24hours since the first pip, I'm not concerned as I have seen progress the egg is nearly zip all the way around. However for the last hour I have been watching and it looks like the chick is jumping or sort of a bit like a hiccup.

Is this hiccup thing the chick pushing out?

Once it is unzipped enough to push out will the chick rest for a bit longer?

My chick does look exhausted so the only concern I have is, is it too tired to push out or would a rest at this point be normal before it will be ready to go again.

 

[dheltzel]

I would recommend watching and waiting for another few hours. That said, I have often popped the top off a nearly fully zipped chick and put them back in to finish pushing out on their own. It's a judgement call because opening the incubator does dry the air at the most crucial time, but if this is the last chick and it's having a tough time, I'll usually help a little.

The last time I did this was last week, with eggs that were from pullets, so smaller than normal. I have 10 eggs and 7 hatched easily, the last 3 took a lot longer and I finally helped them a bit at the end. All 10 chicks are now healthy and happy. I have also had times when the rescues chick died later or had to be culled due to deformities. As I said, it's a judgment call.

 

[stacemck]

It is actually the only egg from a Pekin Hen and is small but it appears though the chick is very small too, I estimate it is actually smaller then what my day old silkies were when I bought them and they were very small.

This is my first hatch and how it came about was I had to go away and I gave stricked instructions to not refrigerate and eat this Hens eggs as they would most likely be fertile and I wanted to hatch them. Well my MIL who thinks I'm crazy for wanting to hatch purebreds and let my children experience hatching, as she puts it eggs are for eating. So MIL ate the eggs despite my instructions to place the eggs aside in a egg carton in my wardrobe and when I came back I would handle the rest, The rest being placing them back under the broody Pekin, MIL states she laid 8 eggs in total and stopped, the day I got back she had 3 eggs under her (I think she stole of one of the other Hens cause they were too big to be hers) and the one I had collected before I left. MIL ate all 8 eggs in 5 days. I was very upset, my children were very upset but my pekin was happy she had her egg.

Couple of days ago my Pekin decided to quit to my horror I woke up in the morn to find very cold eggs and my peking no longer broody. So I grabbed the eggs and my incubator and have tried to keep everything as stable as I could, I candled all so I knew the lone chick was still alive when I placed it in the incubator, the remaining 3 were infertile which I was not surprised with because I only allow the Roo with the pekin unsupervised other wise I supervise to make sure he does not make some new girlfriends.

So just to be clear it is fine to take off above the pip where the air cell was if the chick has already unzipped?

I won't do it yet as chick has perked up again a few minutes ago and is pushing around a bit so I will give it another few hours unless I see some real struggle. My husband keeps saying just pull it all off and I have had to explain to him and the yolk sac and the vessels and he thinks I'm nuts.

 

[howfunkyisurchicken]

Has it made it out yet?
If it has zipped and is trying to kick out, that's a pretty good indicator that its ready. What was your humidity during lockdown? I ask because, it has been my experience, that once they zip they come out right after (unless they can't). If your chick was struggling to pop the top off its egg, it may be because the membrane was too dry and was still holding the egg together.

Good luck, hopefully its already made its way out