x2 A chick really needs that time to rest between pip and zip in order for those vessels/veins to absorb. I think if a chick internal pipped and zipped as soon as it externally pipped that the chances of surviving would be low because it would be bleeding from the premature seperation of the membranes. My chicks average 12-18 hours between pip and zip. This last hatch I had a silkie that decided to literally bust out of the very top of the egg after only 4-5 hours after pip. He did not give himself time to be ready because not only did he still have unabsorbed yolk (that was then ruptured) but bloody membrane/cord attatched to him. It really made me appreciate the 12-18 hours that it takes my chicks to be ready. Coupled with the fact that I do assists when I feel necessary and see the progression of the absorption of membranes during the rests periods between helping I know how important that time is.
I understand. That's why I refuse to open the incubator until tomorrow. The little chick that has pipped at the bottom of the egg has his beak sticking out a little. I'm hoping he'll make it out without help. I'm honestly very nervous about the possibility of having to help hatch. It has been quiet in the incubator since around 10 a.m. Something must be going on in there now that I'm not aware of, because my dog keeps looking at the incubator with interest.
No. No matter how you look at it a chick has to externally pip. The definition itself is the initial break through of the chick through the shell. You can not physically zip w/out pipping. How long it takes to go from pip to zip differs, and you may not notice a pip before it stars to zip, but trust me, it had most likely been pipped a while before the zip. A pip can go unnoticed because it doesn't tecnically have to put a hole in the shell but can be a "bump" or a crack.I understand. That's why I refuse to open the incubator until tomorrow. The little chick that has pipped at the bottom of the egg has his beak sticking out a little. I'm hoping he'll make it out without help. I'm honestly very nervous about the possibility of having to help hatch. It has been quiet in the incubator since around 10 a.m. Something must be going on in there now that I'm not aware of, because my dog keeps looking at the incubator with interest.
It was difficult for me to put my question into words. I understand that they won't zip immediately. Is it possible that they will only do only an inner pip - break the membrane to get into the air pocket - before they begin to zip? I hope that makes more sense.
There is no doubt that this happens a lot. I did it my first time. It's so hard watching that first hatch, because everything looks like it is taking so much longer than you think it should, and when they stop moving you think they need help. It just takes a long time, and chances are that chick that you thought wasn't going to make it would be just fine if you left it alone. If your humidity is right, and they are pipping, then everything is going like it should. Some just take longer than others. I am at the end of my current hatch right now. I locked down on Friday. I had my first pip yesterday morning around 6:00AM. I had 8 chicks by 10:00PM, but more than half of the eggs had not pipped yet. This morning, most of them had hatched, but I still had 4 or 5 eggs in there. 2 or 3 of those were pipped, and the others either hadn't pipped yet, or aren't going to. It's day 22, and I haven't opened the incubator once since Friday.
