My eggs are hatching!

Hi, I'm hatching my first eggs in a still air incubator. They were due to hatch tomorrow but one hatched today while I was at work and one I'm very worried about. It started pipping last evening around 8:00. This morning there was a little hole and 16 hrs later the hole is not much bigger and it's little beak is sticking out opening and closing. Is it in distress? Why isn't it hatching? Should I help open the shell? Please help, I'm so worried about my little peep

You shouldn't help it when it's hatching because it won't be a healthy chicken if it can't get out of it's shell.

Thanks Kevin, I'll take your advice

There's another reason why you shouldn't rush in - the lil chick is absorbing nutrients all the time from the sack that's attached to the shell and if you break that inadvertently it can bleed and die. Keep the shell ever so slightly damp by flicking water on it (be careful not to drown chick!) or laying a warm damp paper towel on it for a few seconds. It's very hard to stand by and watch them struggle but sometimes it does take 24hrs plus. Some folk do say that you can VERY carefully remove just a tiny bit of shell. Fortunately I haven't had to ever intervene.

We too have some eggs that I thought were in the hatching process under a Muscovy but I notice today that she's off the nest and hasn't carefully covered them up before getting her snack. They are quite cold to the touch so sadly she's maybe given up half-way through

2 of the 4 hatched! The one I was worried about hatched at 5:45 this morning and I watched! It was awesome! I candled the remaining 2 and they look good...surprised they passed their due date of today....I'm in love with my 2 babies...I think one is a silkie, has feathered feet!

My last hatch (admittedly under hens) had two chicks that hatched on Day 23. I've heard folk say that it can be as long as 25 days! So maybe just hang in there.

I'm not giving up on them, I'll keep them in until I'm sure. The 2 little ones are so sweet! They love being held and snuggled. Truth be told they are in my kitchen. When they hear/see me they peep like crazy. They're eating and drinking and I have the heat lamp at 92. They cuddle under it or they can move if they want. They're in a huge box. If I figure out how to upload pix, I will this evening. I don't want to go to work !