When to Help a Chicken Hatch: A Complete Guide for Backyard Chicken Keepers

Watching eggs in your incubator can be both exciting and nerve-wracking. As day 21 approaches you’re probably glued to the glass anxiously waiting for those first signs of hatching. But what happens when a chick pips through the shell and then… nothing? When should you step in and help, and when should you let nature take its course?

As someone who’s been through this stressful situation multiple times with my own backyard flock, I’ll share everything you need to know about when (and how) to help a struggling chick hatch

Understanding the Natural Hatching Process

Before we dive into when to intervene, it’s important to understand how chicks normally hatch Under natural conditions, a broody hen turns her eggs, maintains proper temperature and humidity, and may even assist chicks during hatching. In an incubator, conditions aren’t always ideal, which can lead to problems.

Here’s what the normal hatching timeline looks like:

• Days 1-17: The chick develops inside the egg
• Day 18: The chick “internally pips” by breaking through the inner membrane with its egg tooth
• Days 19-20: The chick “externally pips” by cracking through the eggshell and starts “zipping” around the shell
• Day 21: The chick fully emerges from the shell

From internal pip to complete hatch typically takes 12-24 hours. During this time, the chick rests between efforts, rotates inside the shell, and absorbs its remaining yolk sac.

When to Consider Intervention

It’s generally recommended to wait at least 24 hours from the initial external pip before considering assistance. Helping too early can be deadly for the chick!

However, certain signs might indicate a chick needs help sooner:

• No progress for 12-18 hours after external pipping
• Signs of respiratory distress (like gaping or whistling) after pipping
• Shrink-wrapped membranes that are visibly limiting movement
• A “sticky chick” unable to rotate due to excess fluids

Remember: a chick needs time to absorb its yolk sac before hatching. Helping a chick out before this process is complete dramatically reduces its chances of survival.

Understanding “Shrink-Wrapped” and “Sticky” Chicks

Two common problems that might require intervention are:

Shrink-Wrapped Chicks

This happens when the inner membrane dries out and tightens around the chick, restricting movement. The chick becomes trapped and cannot rotate to continue zipping. This typically occurs when:

• Humidity is too low during incubation
• The incubator is opened during lockdown (days 18-21), causing a sudden drop in humidity

Sticky Chicks

These chicks develop in eggs with excess moisture throughout incubation. The chick is smaller and surrounded by more fluid. If exposed to a sudden drop in humidity, these fluids can harden and stick to the chick’s body, making hatching impossible.

When NOT to Help a Chick Hatch

Not all struggling chicks should be helped. Some issues indicate a chick that likely won’t survive even with assistance:

• Physical deformities (missing body parts, crossed beak, parts outside the body)
• Extremely underdeveloped chicks
• Chicks showing signs of respiratory issues
• Chicks with signs of infection or disease

Sometimes it’s better to let nature take its course. Helping a deformed or sickly chick hatch may only prolong its suffering.

Important Considerations Before Helping

If you’re thinking about helping a chick hatch, be aware of these potential consequences:

1. Hereditary issues – Helping a chick that can’t hatch on its own can lead to the issue becoming hereditary. Chicks you plan to use for breeding shouldn’t be helped.

2. Weak legs and muscles – The hatching process naturally strengthens a chick’s muscles. Helped chicks often have weaker muscles.

3. Leg and neck problems – Help-out hatchlings frequently develop issues like crooked toes, splayed legs, or twisted necks due to underdeveloped muscles.

4. Soft abdomen issues – A chick’s abdomen needs to close and absorb the yolk sac right up until hatching. Helping too early risks incomplete closure.

5. Bleeding – Helping before blood vessels are fully blocked off can cause potentially fatal bleeding.

6. Long-term quality of life – Chicks that needed help often have lifelong issues and may require special care.

The “Hands-Off” Approach: Increasing Humidity

Before physically intervening, try this technique to help struggling chicks:

The Warm Water Trick

If humidity is too low, chicks can get stuck to the membranes. Adding warm water to raise humidity might help free them without direct intervention:

1. On the first day of lockdown (day 18), place a clean sponge inside the incubator under a vent hole
2. Insert a straw through the vent hole until it touches the sponge
3. Use warm, distilled water and a medicine dropper to add water through the straw
4. Only add enough to bring humidity up to 65-70%
5. Remove the straw after adding water

The increased moisture often helps loosen the membrane’s grip, allowing the chick to continue hatching on its own.

How to Properly Open an Incubator During Lockdown

If you must open the incubator to help a chick, do it in a way that doesn’t harm other hatching eggs:

1. Bring the incubator into a humid bathroom
2. Run hot water in your shower to increase humidity (keep the incubator away from running water!)
3. Bring your hygrometer into the bathroom
4. Wait until the bathroom humidity matches that of your incubator
5. Only then open the incubator briefly

This prevents sudden humidity drops that could cause other pipping chicks to become shrink-wrapped.

How to Safely Assist a Hatching Chick

If a chick truly needs help after waiting 24 hours from external pip, here’s how to assist safely:

1. Sterilize your hands and tools to prevent infection
2. Maintain high humidity (65-70%) during the process
3. Carefully widen the existing pip hole over the air cell
4. Apply a tiny bit of vegetable oil to exposed membranes if they’re dry
5. Look for receding blood vessels and yolk absorption (if you see blood vessels or a yolk sac that isn’t fully absorbed, STOP and wait longer)
6. Gently peel membranes away once the chick is ready
7. Help free the head and body if needed

Work slowly and give the chick time between interventions. Avoid tearing membranes, causing bleeding, or pulling too early.

Providing Aftercare for Assisted Chicks

Chicks that needed hatching help often require special care:

• Dry the chick thoroughly and monitor its body temperature
• Provide immediate access to food and water
• Watch for issues with legs, feet, wings, or neck
• Keep the chick separate if showing signs of illness
• Be prepared for potential special needs

Even with your best efforts, assisted chicks may struggle to thrive. But sometimes, with proper care, they can grow into healthy chickens!

The Moral Question: Should You Help?

When it comes to whether you should help a chick hatch, it’s ultimately a personal decision based on your circumstances and values. Consider these two perspectives:

Natural Selection: Nature governs by survival of the strongest. A chick who can’t hatch by itself may not be meant to hatch at all.

Every Chick Deserves a Chance: As humans, we may feel compelled to help because every life deserves a chance, even if it results in a special needs chicken.

I’ve personally helped chicks hatch with mixed results. Some went on to live happy, healthy lives, while others required extensive care or didn’t survive long. It’s not an easy decision, and there’s no single right answer.

To summarize when you should consider helping a chick hatch:

1. Wait at least 24 hours after external pipping before intervening
2. Look for clear signs of struggle – decreased movement, weakening peeps, or visible shrink-wrapping
3. Try the humidity trick first before physically intervening
4. Consider the long-term implications of helping a chick that can’t hatch on its own
5. Be prepared for special needs care if you do choose to help

Remember, hatching is a natural process that normally doesn’t require human intervention. But in artificial incubation settings, sometimes issues arise that warrant our help. Use your best judgment, and don’t be afraid to let nature take its course when appropriate.

Have you ever helped a chick hatch? I’d love to hear about your experiences in the comments below!

You should wait at least 24 hours after a chick first “pipped” (made a hole in the shell) before considering intervention, as hatching is a tiring process that can take time and short rests are normal. To decide if intervention is needed, monitor the chick for extended inactivity or weakness.

You should only help a chick hatch after waiting at least 24 hours from the initial pip (the first crack) and if the chick is showing no progress and is weak, but still alive. Before intervening, increase humidity and sterilize any tools to prevent infection and membrane dryness. If you see blood, stop immediately, as the chick is still connected to the yolk and can bleed to death.

A pipped chick can stay in the shell for 12 to 24 hours or even longer, as long as it can breathe through the pip hole and is resting. The entire pipping and hatching process is a staged event that requires the chick to rest and absorb the remaining yolk before hatching.

Chicks may not hatch after pipping due to several factors, including low humidity causing them to stick to the shell membrane, malposition within the egg preventing movement, a weak chick lacking strength, or insufficient oxygen if the air cell was improperly formed or ventilation was inadequate. You can help by carefully moistening the membrane and removing pieces of the shell, but only after 24 hours of no progress, and always try to keep the incubator closed to maintain humidity.