First hatch happening now! One chick “pipped” a huge hole? Normal? Pic EDIT: more ? in comments

[Hantell]

I have 10 eggs on day 20, this is my first time hatching in an incubator.
2 other eggs have pipped with cracks, then this one just busted a huge hole in the egg. is that okay? It keeps moving and sticking its beak out, so I know it’s okay as of now.

Saying hi

 

[Cockadoodledinos]

Yep looks okay and normal to me! Enjoy your hatch, I've got some hatching right now too and it's so fun

 

[Squawkers]

Looks awesome!! Congratulations

 

[Hantell]

Yep looks okay and normal to me! Enjoy your hatch, I've got some hatching right now too and it's so fun

Thank you! it is so fun!

 

[Hantell]

UPDATE and question!
The big whole pip was the first to hatch two others have hatched as well.

However - the first to pip (it’s been approx. 20-22 hours) hasn’t made a ton of progress. It’s definitely still moving in there. I went into this with no intention to assist, and I’d still prefer not to, just wondering what to look for and/or if I should expect it to hatch?
There’s another that pipped approx. 4-5 hours ago and is just sitting there with its beak poking out. Again, still breathing/cheeping and lots of wiggling in the shell, but is it okay that it’s not pulling its beak back in? kinda need to use that tool to get out right?
Finally, the five remaining eggs have yet to pip. I’ve read they should all hatch within 24 hours of first pip, and also that it could take up to 48.
Thanks for bearing with all my first timer questions! Appreciate all the knowledge and that everyone here is so welcoming and encouraging!

 

[GirlsHuntToo]

That looks very healthy and means the chick is strong. Congratulations on the chick!

 

[Ridgerunner]

I’ve read they should all hatch within 24 hours of first pip, and also that it could take up to 48.

"Should" does not always match reality.

I've had hatches in an incubator and under a broody where all the chicks hatched within 16 hours of the first one hatching. I've had hatches in an incubator and under a broody where it took a lot longer. One hen hatched a chick late Monday. She brought her chicks off of the nest early Friday, about 80 hours later. I don't know when the last one hatched but it was well after 24 hours.

One incubator hatch, a chick hatched fairly late in the day. I saw no activity in the incubator until about 24 hours later, I saw a couple of pips as I was going to bed. The nest morning when I got up the remaining 16 chicks had hatched.

This stuff is too random for hard fast deadlines and limits. With living animals a lot of different things "could" possibly happen, regardless of what somebody thinks should.

Before a chick hatches it needs to do a lot of work. It needs to dry up the blood vessels in the membrane surrounding it. It needs to absorb the yolk to live on before it eats and drinks. It does something to the gunk that is in its down so when it dries it is all fluffy instead with that down matted. I don't know what else they do. Some chicks do a lot of that between internal pip and external pip so they can zip and hatch pretty quickly after external pip. Some do a lot of that after external pip and before zip. These can take an excruciatingly long time to finally zip. When they finally zip they peck a line around the egg so they can push it apart and finally come out. This "zip" usually happens fairly fast though one might get tired and rest a bit partway through.

If you try to help one before the blood vessels have dried up it can bleed to death when you break those unwrapping it. If it has not absorbed the yolk when you help it, it might still absorb it or the yolk may break or get messed up before it can be absorbed. Sometimes you save them when you help, sometimes you kill them.

wondering what to look for and/or if I should expect it to hatch?

Don't give up on them until you know it is dead. Some of them can take a very long time.

 

[Hantell]

"Should" does not always match reality.

I've had hatches in an incubator and under a broody where all the chicks hatched within 16 hours of the first one hatching. I've had hatches in an incubator and under a broody where it took a lot longer. One hen hatched a chick late Monday. She brought her chicks off of the nest early Friday, about 80 hours later. I don't know when the last one hatched but it was well after 24 hours.

One incubator hatch, a chick hatched fairly late in the day. I saw no activity in the incubator until about 24 hours later, I saw a couple of pips as I was going to bed. The nest morning when I got up the remaining 16 chicks had hatched.

This stuff is too random for hard fast deadlines and limits. With living animals a lot of different things "could" possibly happen, regardless of what somebody thinks should.

Before a chick hatches it needs to do a lot of work. It needs to dry up the blood vessels in the membrane surrounding it. It needs to absorb the yolk to live on before it eats and drinks. It does something to the gunk that is in its down so when it dries it is all fluffy instead with that down matted. I don't know what else they do. Some chicks do a lot of that between internal pip and external pip so they can zip and hatch pretty quickly after external pip. Some do a lot of that after external pip and before zip. These can take an excruciatingly long time to finally zip. When they finally zip they peck a line around the egg so they can push it apart and finally come out. This "zip" usually happens fairly fast though one might get tired and rest a bit partway through.

If you try to help one before the blood vessels have dried up it can bleed to death when you break those unwrapping it. If it has not absorbed the yolk when you help it, it might still absorb it or the yolk may break or get messed up before it can be absorbed. Sometimes you save them when you help, sometimes you kill them.


Don't give up on them until you know it is dead. Some of them can take a very long time.

Thank you for taking the time to type that all up! Encouraging and reassuring!
Being patient really is the most difficult part of this whole thing

 

[Squawkers]

I had a chick take over 50 hours to hatch. I thought it was for sure dead, until I accidentally poured water on it. I was using the vent hole to add water, and didn’t realize that the egg had moved. It started peeping very loudly after its shower, then was hatched within an hour after.

 

[Cockadoodledinos]

Almost every time I've jumped in to help one hatch, I've wished afterwards that I had left it alone (had a few that failed to thrive in a big batch and had no way to know if those were the ones I helped...) I always resolve to let nature do its thing but it's sooo hard! Hang in there