Eggs Pipping on Sides?

RattleCan

Chirping
5 Years
Oct 25, 2014
127
28
73
Maryland, USA
I have nine eggs in the incubator due to hatch tomorrow, and two of them have already pipped as of this morning (24 hours early). I thought eggs were supposed to pip on the top of the egg, but these two have pipped on the side. The only time I've seen eggs pip on the sides or bottom was when an early-hatched chick knocked them around in the incubator but these eggs haven't been disturbed since lockdown.

Any idea why they might be pipping on their sides instead of on the top? I'm supposed to turn them with the pip facing up, correct? Or should I leave them as is?
 
Mine typically will pip at the lowest portion of the air cell. So the air cells may just be facing the side, maybe happened the last time you turned/candled them you placed them that way. It's no big deal, they will hatch fine if they pipped on the side. Once one gets out, it will knock them around anyways.

So, no, don't turn them now! This is when they are most vulnerable to shrink wrapping, so leave the incubator closed! You will have new chickies soon!
 
I know some ppl marked the approximate(lowest part of the air cell) when candling and removing from turner at lockdown to put them on their sides. Its a great time to candle for me and then I inspect eggs more carefully & then after they get rolled around cause from newly hatched I know where to look for pips and if they are still in "ideal pipping position"

Good luck with your hatch!
 
I was aware the some people marked the edges of the aircell to keep track of it, I suppose that certainly would explain why! So the two that did pip somewhere on the side of the egg likely did so because that's where the lowest point of their aircell was. I guess there's not much I can do about it now since I don't want to disturb the hatching eggs, but I'll definitely keep this in mind for the next hatch. Thank you everyone!

Now the next question, what's the best way to get dried gunk off of a chick's back? Today is the actual hatch date, three have already hatched and at least two more have pipped. I moved the three that had already hatched to their brooder as they were rolling eggs every which way, but one of the three had hatched overnight so I didn't see all the gunk on him before he started drying. Now it's pretty well encrusted to his back and the other two nip at it and bother him whenever they see it and his feathers can't fluff up. Any advice for cleaning him up?
 
I had one like that I had to assist. I just used baby toenail clippers to clip away the egg as much as i could being sure I was under the egg and above skin. a piece stuck on but came off eventually, it was near the tummy though so no one was messing with it.
 
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I actually just run a small bitty stream of warm water in the sink and wash them off and not getting their head and then fluff them up with a towel gentle and then in the brooder they go under the lamp!
 
I have nine eggs in the incubator due to hatch tomorrow, and two of them have already pipped as of this morning (24 hours early). I thought eggs were supposed to pip on the top of the egg, but these two have pipped on the side. The only time I've seen eggs pip on the sides or bottom was when an early-hatched chick knocked them around in the incubator but these eggs haven't been disturbed since lockdown.

Any idea why they might be pipping on their sides instead of on the top? I'm supposed to turn them with the pip facing up, correct? Or should I leave them as is?
My last hatch I had one pip on its side. When it breathed out you could see the air bubbles bubbling in the albumen. I would make sure it stays up right. Mine took right at 24 hours to hatch and it hatched on its own. It is now two days old and in the brooder with all of the others. I gave it vitamin and electrolyte water with a little bit of sugar. It’s doing fine. Here is a screenshot from an article from here. This will help ease your mind. It did mine. Good luck with your hatch.
 

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