[Pidgey]

Actually, there's not a lot of time but this is the problem: if it's dried, then the chick can certainly be stuck in one position. The old way of taking care of it was to spit in the shell (I know, sounds perfectly nasty) a little bit so the little fellow can get unstuck. THE RISK YOU RUN is that the yolk of the egg is slowly pulled into and consumed by the growing chick. If you take the chick out early, the yolk may not be fully absorbed into the navel (yep, the belly ****on) and that can spell certain doom for the little one.

It's a tricky call. I have had a chick do exactly what you're describing and have helped him out of the shell. I had another do something similar (there was a hole, but not big enough to look into, and I helped him out too early. It's something that's a risk and only you can figure out whether there's been enough time for the little one to be fully developed by now. It's your call.

Pidgey