Chick without internal pip, but is chirping?

[servant_of_fluffs]

One of my eggs is on day 20-21 ish and I'm pretty sure I heard it chirping quietly last night. What are the odds of me imagining it... I candled it this afternoon and checked for an internal pip but didn't see any beak shaped shadows. I did hear it chirp very obviously from inside the egg, though. If I am right and the chick was chirping last night it's been about 18ish hours. This egg had a small crack that didn't break the membrane, so I patched it with wax early on in incubation. The humidity is 63%. Anything else I should do to make it easier for the little guy?

Is it possible to hear a chick chirping without the chick having internally pipped?

 

[servant_of_fluffs]

Its air cell is also pretty small which is why I'm a bit concerned.

 

[Tstraub]

It’s my understanding that the chick doesn’t take its first breath through its lungs until it internally pips. I assume breathing is required for chirping much like breathing is required for people to talk. So I would guess it has broken into the air cell. My suggestion for the moment is sit on your hands.

 

[servant_of_fluffs]

It’s my understanding that the chick doesn’t take its first breath through its lungs until it internally pips. I assume breathing is required for chirping much like breathing is required for people to talk. So I would guess it has broken into the air cell. My suggestion for the moment is sit on your hands.

Thanks. I didn't think of that

 

[servant_of_fluffs]

This is a terrible picture but does this look like a "bruise" from attempting to externally pip? There's a weird dot that I am pretty sure wasn't there before....

bottom left of green egg

 

[servant_of_fluffs]

I drilled a safety hole because I couldn't hear the chick chirping anymore (I was getting a really bad feeling and usually my gut is right about stuff like this) and raised the humidity. I'd rather be safe than sorry. I can hear the little one chirping now.