When to help a "natural raised" chick out of the shell

[quiacato]

My husband and I are new to having chicks. Our hen has been on three eggs for 22 days, one hatched yesterday and is healthy. One of the eggs was chirping like crazy last night but is much quieter now. My husband thinks we should try to Pip the egg but everything i read says to wait. What would you advise we do?? Also, if it seems we do need to Pip the shell how do we tell where to do it? This shell seems very thick so we are concerned it cannot get through. Thanks

 

[Cyprus]

You can pip (break the shell over the air sac) now if you wish. Go no further. I had an egg at the same place, did the pip and the chick hatched but failed to survive. Be aware that sometimes they just aren't meant for this world.

 

[slordaz]

My husband and I are new to having chicks. Our hen has been on three eggs for 22 days, one hatched yesterday and is healthy. One of the eggs was chirping like crazy last night but is much quieter now. My husband thinks we should try to Pip the egg but everything i read says to wait. What would you advise we do?? Also, if it seems we do need to Pip the shell how do we tell where to do it? This shell seems very thick so we are concerned it cannot get through. Thanks

is the hen a first time broody? it sounds like yes that chick needs some help it's a slow and excruciating thing to do to do it properly, and you had better have an incubator for the other eggs if they are still viable once she gets off that nest and a brooder set up and ready. Once you start assisting though you will have to help it all the way, and there is still no guarantee the chick will make it.

 

[quiacato]

is the hen a first time broody? it sounds like yes that chick needs some help it's a slow and excruciating thing to do to do it properly, and you had better have an incubator for the other eggs if they are still viable once she gets off that nest and a brooder set up and ready. Once you start assisting though you will have to help it all the way, and there is still no guarantee the chick will make it.

Thanks. She is not a first time, this is her third time she has had chicks. We were lucky the first two go arounds I guess without hatching issues. We will try to help the little one out.

 

[slordaz]

good luck with that, sorry I have to step out but we jsut alked @Dona Worry though it so maybe she can help ya this time

 

[Dona Worry]

Mine had already pipped, but failed to progress and started to sound distressed and struggle. For her, I carefully peeled away the shell, and did not break the inner membrane at all until I had almost all the shell removed, then I used a q tip with actual OB lube (I'm a dairy farmer, we have that for difficult calvings) to veryveryvery carefully stretch, not tear the hole in the membrane and sort of ease her out. I left the shell attached overnight via the umbilical cord.

 

[Dona Worry]

I basically extracted the chick through a hole the size of a nickel