And do not be tempted to "help" the chick out of the egg. Nature will take its course, and trying to remove the shell before the chick is ready is more likely to kill it.
A better plan is to run the incubator under optimal conditions, then let nature take its course. A chick that's strong enough to break out of the shell on its own is more likely than a help-out to become a vigorous and healthy bird.
However, if you are waiting within the proper hatch time for an egg to pip, don't be tempted to pip the egg yourself for the chick! Only help a chick hatch who has already pipped the eggshell. And still, you will want to wait a good amount of time before determining that the chick needs help.
It is reasonable to expect a chick to hatch within 12-24 hours of pipping. Egg #1 certainly wasted no time at all from pip to hatch, breaking free in less than 12 hours. 9:00 pm, moving right along! As I write this, all of the chicks 26 hours have elapsed since the first pip and all four chicks have hatched.
You can gently try to break parts of the eggshell with tweezers, if it seems vital to getting the chick out, and to reach more membranes. If the shell will not crack easily that usually means the membrane is still too dry, and needs to moisten again with the cloth again – maybe multiple times.
You can tell the chick is having trouble if it gets stuck for several hours in the MIDDLE of the unzipping stage, either pointlessly banging its beak against the hole without making further openings in the shell or mostly unzipped but unable to kick free.
Snipping the neck.
This is the quickest and most humane way to kill a very young chick.
Chick Pipped, But Not Hatching
This can be due to a weak chick, wrong positioning, or a particularly hard shell. It can be hard to know when to help a chick hatch.
Chicks with unabsorbed yolk sacs are at a great disadvantage. The yolk of the egg is a source of vital nutrients and protective antibodies for the chick. When chicks are unable to absorb all of the nutrients, they will not be as strong and have a weakened immune system.
Zipping occurs when the chick begins to turn inside the shell and seemingly unzips the end of the shell to prepare for its escape. Zipping can occur as quickly as 30 minutes or as long as… Well as long as it takes really. You need to wait patiently, check progress regularly and allow the chick to do its thing.
Handling Baby Chicks
Their bones are soft and delicate. They have intricate respiratory systems that can be easily damaged if they are squeezed or held too tightly.
Chicks with dirty feathers around the vent (dirty lumps) can be a sign that they have suffered a period of stress. Look at the naval area to ensure there is no infection and that the naval is closed (sometimes the yolk sac will not be fully withdrawn). If the naval is open it is more likely to become infected.
Separate weak chicks
If the stressed chicks are getting picked on, it's usually best to separate them from the others, perhaps with a bit of chicken wire, so they don't have to compete with the others and have the chance to recover.
Chicks will typically hatch at day 21. If the fertilized eggs were cooled prior to incubation, the process might take a little longer. If you are at day 21 with no hatch, give the eggs a few more days. When the big day comes, let the chick hatch on its own.
Check the membrane of the air cell for an internal pip. STEP ONE: Use the knife to open the large side of the egg, where the air cell is located. When opening the end of the egg, note whether or not the embryo internally pipped. If it did, you should see the beak poking through into the air sac.
Sticky chicks are an indication that the humidity levels were too high during the incubation process and hampered the absorption of the albumin. Sticky or wet chicks can also be a sign of a too-low average temperature along with excessively high average humidity.
“You should only try to help a chick hatch if it's partially zipped the shell, but hasn't advanced at all in the past 24 hours, assuming the chick is at term.
Treatment for a Dehydrated Chick
If you have a chick that is mildly dehydrated place in an area that is warm, but not hot, and wrap it in a cotton blanket or towel. Then, provide electrolyte infused water. If the chick needs help drinking, help it drink every 10-15 minutes for an hour.
A dry membrane can also stick to the chick, which brings with it the risk of pulling out feathery fluff or tearing skin. This is the reason we are advised not to open the incubator during those three days before hatching.
Humidity and temperature issues can cause chicks to become “shrink wrapped” or to be overly-sticky at hatch. The highest risk of shrink wrapping is after the eggs have externally pipped, have already been in lock down with high humidity... and then the incubator is opened for some reason.
*TIP: Never candle after day 18. Days 19-21 are when the chicks are positioning themselves for the hatch and shouldn't be jostled. The lid should also not be removed since they need that precious humidity to rotate freely in the egg. Start by washing your hands, then turn off the lights and plug in your egg candler.
After 21 days in the incubator, the chicks should hatch from the eggs. Try not to help the chicks hatch, as they develop muscles during the hard work of hatching from their eggs. The egg will start to wiggle around a bit as the chicken inside works to open the egg.