Chick Is Too Weak To Hatch Herself, So She Gets A Little Help

She tried for 30 hours to free herself from the egg.

Albert is a quail who was rescued and hatched from a supermarket egg back in February. He was the only one of his batch to hatch, although others who've tried the same thing have successfully hatched more. This might not seem possible, but some eggs that go to the supermarket are fertilized, even if the packaging might say they're not.

His dad thought Albert might like some friends, so he bought some more eggs, and amazingly, they hatched, too - but one little chick was having some trouble coming out of her shell, literally.

YouTube/A Chick Called Albert

The tiny chick tried for 30 hours to peck her way out of her shell, but she was too weak.

YouTube/A Chick Called Albert

She kept at it, but her new dad was worried she might eventually give up.

YouTube/A Chick Called Albert

According to Albert's dad, it's not a good idea to help a chick hatch from his egg. If you try too early, the chick could bleed to death, and if you try too late, the chick could already have passed on. There is a small window of time where it's safe to help, however ...

YouTube/A Chick Called Albert

... and the man decided he had to try. He slowly, over time, cracked open the egg as gently as he could ...

YouTube/A Chick Called Albert

... until the little chick was finally visible. She was still too weak to stretch herself out of the egg, though ...

YouTube/A Chick Called Albert

... and so she got a little more help, until finally, there she was.

The baby quail was able to leave her shell behind and join the world where her brothers and sisters, including Albert, were already waiting.

YouTube/A Chick Called Albert

The day after she hatched, she was already strong enough to join her siblings, and had no trouble fitting in with everyone. Albert and his dad are absolutely delighted that she was able to pull through, and are excited to watch her grow and enjoy her second chance at life.

YouTube/A Chick Called Albert

You can watch the full video of the chick's rescue below:

click to play video