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This is something we all struggle with when hatching chicks.

The normal answer is NO. It is always best to let them hatch on their own.

But if you have already had three die and you have some Pipping on other eggs then you may want to try the following.

Bump up the humidity in the incubator to about 80%. You will need moisture to do this right.

Only with eggs that have a visible hole in the shell,take a set of tweezers and gently pull off any shell around the hole that is loose. If any bleeding starts then you MUST stop.

You can take a clean toothpick and slide it under the first membrane (the one that touches the shell) Do not go deeper than that. Do not do too much at once. Allow the chick to rest for an hour after and see if it keeps up the work you started. Work on another while waiting.

It sounds like the humidity level was too low in the incubator and the two membranes in the shell have dried. More info Under the shell are two membranes, the one directly under the shell is rubbery and does not carry a blood supply but the inner membrane does. As the chick works its way around the inside of the shell (pipping) it uses what is called an egg tooth to poke holes in the inner membrane sending a signal to stop the blood supply. This takes time and helping it is usually bad for the chick. When the chick has pipped (poked holes) all around in a circle it flexes its body to separate the shell. Sometimes the chick gets too weak to make the circle and has not enough energy to continue and that is when an experienced breeder/farmer can sometimes render assistance by loosening the tougher outer membrane but this does not always work.

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17y ago

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