I've been worrying because I am hearing peeps, but I've avoided touching the incubator for fear of messing something up. However, I have been reading (probably too much) about internal/external pipping, how some people help when they chick does not break the shell, etc, etc. Then I started to wonder... oh no! Should I be paying closer attention? So I took a flashlight to the clear plastic window and started moving the incubator around (designed like a Brisnea Mini), sure enough I have seen 4 externally pipped eggs and a little beak poking out! Woo-hoo! I don't know about assisting in the hatch. I hate to think of a little chick dying in it's shell, but then I wonder... maybe it's for the best?!? Also, I worry about opening the incubator to assist and then possibly damaging the other eggs.
Don't know what day you are on, but if you open the incubator, you are risking the hatching of those others that are trying to zip out. I would hold off, but that's me...Every time you open that incubator, you will loose humdity and temp consistency and that's so important at this stage. Good luck and hope this helped!!!!
We're on day 18. I have had no plans on opening the incubator until it is time to remove the chicks that are dried off. It's just after reading some people's posts about all the assist, I wonder if me not even thinking of helping makes me a bad chicken mama.
If they just started to pip, I'd let mother nature take her course. Chicks usually only need help if they have some sort of deformity (in which most wouldn't want in their flock anyway) or if the humidity is too low. Think of it as mother nature's test in which only the strong survive. If, however, its been 3-5 days and they still haven't completely hatched you could TRY slowly peeling off the egg, similar to peeling a hard boiled egg, but as soon as you see blood STOP. If there's blood, the chick may not have fully absorbed the yolk through its abdomen and most likely will die if you completely remove the shell.
Thanks for that info myfinefeatheredfriends. Being a stay at home mom, I am constantly rolling the eggs (7-9 times a day) and monitoring temp/humidity. I would love to say I feel like I am giving them their best chance at a good hatch. My thought is if they can't make it under optimal conditions they wouldn't do well in my garden coop.
I also would WAIT WAIT WAIT if you read through this you will understand better and it may help you feel better knowing when to help and when not to worry! https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/step-by-step-guide-to-assisted-hatching
You can do FAR more harm by trying to help than by just waiting. It sounds like your little guys are doing great, and you can only cause harm by interfering. Congrats on the pips--you'll have some babies in about 24-48 hours, I'm betting. But don't get anxious--they can take a super long time from pip to zip to hatch--up to 48 hours--so don't get antsy. Keep us updated...
