ASSIST HATCH HELP - Repost from "Cockatiels with Eggs"

[PikaLina]

Today I realized that the egg that I thought was dead in shell had a pip mark. I didn't pay attention yesterday because I thought maybe the parents had clumsily banged it up or it was dirt from poop or something. I was truly under the assumption that the chick is likely dead in shell since it's already so behind the preempted hatching date and somehow, I expected a pip mark to be more obvious, for lack of a better word. However, today when I cleaned the bedding, there were soft chirps coming from the egg! I candled it and the air cell had dropped significantly.

The pip mark hadn't expanded any, externally or internally, since it first appeared yesterday and it's been over 24 hours so I proceeded to remove the shell from the air cell side as per instructed on a really detailed Assist Hatch webpage I found: Assist Hatches - Just Cockatiels! Upon examining the membrane initially, it seemed indeed extremely dehydrated.

On the site, it says that if the membrane has thick veins it means the chick hasn't drawn the blood in yet and I should refrain from removing it lest I bleed the chick to death. I've moistened the membrane and checked, but I honestly can't tell if the chick has drawn the blood in or not. I've placed the egg in the brooder and am obsessively monitoring the humidity and temperature and giving the chick cooling periods to simulate a normal hatching process as instructed on the site in case it hasn't absorbed the yolk.

Please take a look at the photo below. I hope experienced breeders out there can help tell the difference and help me save this baby's life.

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[Parro]

Poor bird, look, please don't hatch eggs with your hands before time for the chick to come out, probably the chick will die, next time please be careful and don't open the shell before time, it doesn't matter if it hasn't drawn in blood, it's just a matter of time.