can they be too big to pip?

[leecey411]

Can the chick be too big to pip the egg?

 

[chickenlady]

I believe the answer is yes. I may be mistaken but here is what I have heard....if the temps were too high during incubation, the chick may grow to large to get into place and actually pip. Hopefully someone else will be able to answer also.

 

[hinkjc]

Actually too big of a chick is usually caused by humidity too high during incubation. This results in the air cell not being able to reduce in size correctly for correct chick growth. The chick continues to grow to fill the egg and will eventually internally pip. However, because the air cell is too small, the large chick will usually suffer a lack of oxygen and suffocate. Another thing that could happen is they will get a gush of water and drown shortly after pip, especially if humidity levels continue to be too high. If they hatch, they tend to be large soft bodied chicks that either die on the floor of the incubator and leave a bad smell or die shortly after hatch.

When temps are too high, the chick can grow too fast and hatch too early, which usually results in deformities or unabsorbed yolk sacs. While some chicks do ok, others do not do well at all and even seemingly healthy chicks have defects down the road from improper develoment.

Jody

 

[speckledhen]

Jody is correct about what she said, however, I have had a few instances with one particular hen's chicks where, although the humidity was 35-50% during incubation, they grew too large for the egg to pip the shell. At least, that's what it seemed to be when I assisted the humongous, perfectly formed, but just deceased chick out of there. It did seem to be crammed into the shell so it couldn't position itself. Perhaps it just for some other reason, was in a bad position to pip, so I could be incorrect and making the wrong assumption. So much we don't know unless we can see into that egg. Boy, sometimes, I really wish I could!