Chick is peeping like crazy in bator...but no pipping?

[JenaRN]

My chick is peeping like crazy but no pipping yet? Could it be in distress? Is there something I should do? The humidity is at 63% and has been. Is that normal? Today is Day 20 or 21. I took out 2 eggs today that never developed because I noticed a smell so I candled the two and sure enough they were only yolks. I went to grab a third one and it started peeping at me so I put it back quickly and am not opening the bator anymore. Could I have disturbed it? This is obviously my first hatch.

 

[seahoob]

This is normal. Chicks can take as long as 25 days to hatch depending on the conditions they were incubated at. I would say the hearing peeping is a good thing. My last batch peeped for two days prior to pipping. Just keep that incubator in lock down and make sure to maintain humidity as high as you can get it. I generally maintain humidity between 70-80% after Day 18. Good luck

 

[ReikiStar]

My concern for that chick is that the humidity is too low and it's getting shrink wrapped which is why it's carrying on like "crazy". It's tough with it being your first hatch. If it were me, if the peeping got to be less throughout the day and still no pip, I'd open up a small hole on the air sac side and see how the membrane looks. In the past we've seen HUGE air cells and while I believe it's more the breeder's stock than anything, twice I've had fully formed chicks that looked like they didn't have enough room because the membrane was too dry and shrank around them. I wish I had opened up and taken a look sooner. But both times (separate hatches, same breeder) we thought we'd be doing more harm than good and neither chick made it (died in the egg). It could have been for any number of reasons, but that does still bother me.

So I'll offer that advice...they might be distressed because they don't have enough room to move and pip.

 

[JenaRN]

Thank you for the replies. I wonder if maybe it's more than 1 chick peeping so it seems like it's peeping a lot? I have 4 eggs in there and I am pretty sure they are all ''good'' eggs since I candled them at day 14 and saw movement.

I'll get my humidity up. I was afraid it might be too high at 70, so I've been keeping it between 60 and 65%. I'll up it a little bit and then if nothing still tomorrow I might try to possibly poke a little hole in the shell.

 

[cmfarm]

I would leave the humidity alone. Some chicks are just noisyer than others, it is probably fine.

 

[JenaRN]

Well he's zipping as we speak! Hooray! Pics to come once he's out!

 

[ReikiStar]

Well he's zipping as we speak! Hooray! Pics to come once he's out!

Yay!! Good to hear he's doing just fine!

 

[JenaRN]

Well, he was zipped by 6am and now nothing. It's now 3pm...he's peeping in there and rocking around but no progress...he looks almost dry? Is that normal? I hope he's not getting shrinkwrapped. How can I tell?