What's the longest your eggs have taken to hatch?

So about a week ago, my banty hen hatched out her eggs. She left the nest, and had a few late pippers left behind. Before they could chill too badly, I moved all the remaining eggs to an incubator just in case the pips hadn't dried out or got too cold. One hatched, a couple halfway hatched but shrink wrapped, and the rest didn't do a thing. I assumed the eggs that didn't pip were duds, not clear, but just didn't make it to the end. I had other eggs that I've been moving to that incubator to hatch out, so I forgot about taking out the 'bad' eggs.

Went out there this morning to finally take them out, and found one of the 'bad' eggs had pipped, and I saw a moving chick in it Needless to say, I pulled him out and sat him back in there. The membrane around him looked nasty brown as if the egg had already started rotting like I expected, but apparently that chick really wanted to live.
I'm guessing one of the other hens snuck in somehow after the hen had already gone broody for a while, and that's why this one is so late. But still, it was DEFINITELY a surprise!

Always nice when something unexpected happens. . . Most of my hatches last well into day 23, though. My Marans always take forever, and any chick I ever have hatch must follow a rule. That rule is - If someone else is zipping or hatching, or just hatched 10 minutes ago. . . Wait. Don't hatch. Don't even zip.

I am on day 23 too, and I was getting worried. I put some eggs under my hen a couple days after she started firmly sitting so I guess thats whats taking longer. I did find a dead baby in it's shell on friday. I was so SAD to see that it made it this long and then died. I am still holding out for the other four to hatch hopefully today!

I've just gone into Lockdown with my first hatch (chicken eggs).. and was curious to see how long to leave them...
I know 21 days - May 5th is the 21st day...
But how many days later should I wait to call it over??

That's what I'm wondering too! What is pipping and zipping?

rule of thumb from what I have read and been told is 5 days after the 21st. so the 26th day....I am not an expert, but that's what I have been told...some say 7...I don't think I want to wait that long though.

pipping is when the chick starts to crack the shell. Usually starts in a small triangle shape. Zipping is when the chick gets the hole bigger and starts to crack the shell in a line around the egg. Kind of like unzipping a zipper. It's so exciting when that happens, means the chick is about to come out I just had 5 pop out on day 21, 2 on day 22, 1 on day 23 and one that is chirping in the shell today (day 25)and will hopefully be out tonight. The other 5 don't look like they are alive anymore I have read a lot on others experiences and sometimes they just come later. Good luck everyone!!

Quote:
Pipping & Zipping, if I understand it correctly...
Pipping is when the chick inside first breaks the shell from the inside in one spot.
Zipping is when they've done Pipped and now turn around inside and bust the shell all around and then pop out!

Could be completely wrong, but it is my understanding of what it is!

I put 18 eggs under my broody hen on friday april 9th @ 5:00pm

1st chick I saw may 1st @ 10am bouncing around (so I'm guessing she probably hatched early am - but I checked them at 7:20 and saw no one else in there x( )

2 more chicks that day

May 2nd - noon - I had 8 bouncing fluffy butts

for a time frame we're looking at 22 & 23 days thus far

ohh and these are d'uccles.

Well. I did another assisted hatch. So far today, I've got 4 chicks from bator 3 on day 23. Bator 4 has had several hatch on day 22. I'm leaving for Austin Texas until Saturday. We will see what happens. My wife will watch and will hatch the ones out that pip. Hopefully we will get a few more to hatch the next couple of days. I'm keeping the humidity up.