What's my next step?

[Waskoneto]

These chicks internally pipped then was unable to do much more because they were shrink wrapped. I got them to this point now what's my next step? I see the veining is still red and plump so I just rehydrated the membrane, used a tiny bit of coconut oil and put them back in the incubator. Is there something else I should be doing?

 

[Waskoneto]

They've been like this for 5 hours with no change. Still chirping and moving, though. Is it important to keep the membrane moist? I still have eggs that haven't pipped yet so I'm weary about opening the bator to keep moistening the membrane.

 

[Matilda Belle]

I would throw a wet papertowel in the incubator to assist with keeping the humidity up. I can't tell from the pictures....are the membranes broken at all? What day are you on?

 

[CluckNDoodle]

If you haven't read this article yet, I would take the time to do so. It has come graphic images but it's a gold mine of information.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/step-by-step-guide-to-assisted-hatching.64660/
Hatching takes a very long time and it can be really hard to wait but the blood vessels need to recede completely before they start to unzip. It is important to keep the membrane pliable so that the chicks can turn in the egg and unzip. I usually wait until most of the chicks have hatched before I assist because this is a good gauge to know whether they actually need assisting or not and I won't need to worry about affecting the other hatches. I have also set up a second incubator for assists. If you don't have a second incubator then you're just going to have to try not to disturb the humidity too much by adding some warm water on a paper towel like @silkiekeeper suggested or depending on what type of incubator you're using you may be able to do this from an external reservoir.

 

[Waskoneto]

Today is day 21 and all membranes are pipped with beaks sticking out and chirping loudly. They had internally pipped at day 19 and at day 20 (late) they still hadn't externally pipped and I could see by candling that they were shrink wrapped so I made an air hole at the top. When I did this a chunk of shell fell off and revealed the membrane to be like leather and that is why I helped as much as I did. I really screwed up early in incubation and had my humidity set rather low (mid 30's for 1st 15 days or so) but have had it at 56-68% through lockdown. Right now humidity is at 66%. If I go any higher won't they suffocate?

 

[2 many chickens]

The next step is wait. Wait. and wait again.
I would not have done what you did but what's done is done. What day where they on? Why did you think they were shrink wrapped if they hadn't even made an external pip yet??
Keep them moist and leave them be..

 

[2 many chickens]

How is day 21 late? It could take a chick up to 48 hours from pip to hatch.

 

[UThobbyfarmer]

How are they doing? Any progress?

Keep the humidity high and leave them the heck alone. I, too, became nervous and impatient and interfered with my first few hatched. To the detriment of the chicks. Every hatch is a learning experience.

To my knowledge there is no way to tell if a chick is shrink-wrapped by candling. Especially if you're inexperienced at hatching. When in doubt my default is giving them more time.

 

[Matilda Belle]

I would not have assisted so early on but since we can't undo this, just do your best to keep the humidity up and monitor their progress. For future reference, you shouldn't break the egg at the top. In emergencies only you can assist by creating an external pip around the middle of the egg without breaking the membrane (where the chicks would usually pip/zip). And, like someone else said, you can't tell if they are shrink wrapped by candling.

 

[CluckNDoodle]

Today is day 21 and all membranes are pipped with beaks sticking out and chirping loudly. They had internally pipped at day 19 and at day 20 (late) they still hadn't externally pipped and I could see by candling that they were shrink wrapped so I made an air hole at the top. When I did this a chunk of shell fell off and revealed the membrane to be like leather and that is why I helped as much as I did. I really screwed up early in incubation and had my humidity set rather low (mid 30's for 1st 15 days or so) but have had it at 56-68% through lockdown. Right now humidity is at 66%. If I go any higher won't they suffocate?

I just meant in order to get the humidity up when opening the incubator to reapply coconut oil, but 65-70% humidity is perfect for hatch day and won't harm your chicks. When you're talking about a longer period of time, the coconut oil will actually start to harden the membrane if not reapplied. I too use coconut oil in most assisting situations but it comes with it's own handful of issues. I know hatching and assisting can be nerve wracking, I always try to remind everyone that as long as the chicks can breath they're ok! I hope the rest of your hatch goes smoothly! Keep us updated!