Chirpping chicks

[building15]

Broody has been sat on eggs for 23 days, yesterday i could hear chirpping from the nest box(is this what is called pipping), but this mornning i could hear nothing, Should i move broody of the nest to see if things are ok? or should i worry?.

 

[Gypsy07]

You often hear your eggs cheeping and tapping at the shell just before the chicks start to hatch. Pipping is when they tap the first tiny crack in the shell. Zipping is when they start to turn inside the egg, tapping at the shell as they go - when you see it happening it does look like they are 'unzipping' the top of the egg.

If I were you I'd wait until evening time and quietly have a quick peek under her to see what's happening. I've got a broody on day 24 right now and the eggs have only just started to pip. I'd all but given up on them then today I saw two of the eggs had tiny pips in them.

 

[building15]

Thanks mate,
I will have a look tonight, fingers crossed.

 

[building15]

Great news,
I have seen one chick, but have also seen three eggs, do not no if there is any movement in them. I am sure the chick hatched 20th, should i remove the other eggs?

 

[Gypsy07]

Pick them up one by one and hold them to your ear, and give them a little tap with your fingernail. Sometimes you can hear tiny tapping noises coming back at you if the chick is getting ready to pip. You might even hear cheeping from inside the egg. And even if you don't hear any of that, give the egg a good sniff. As long as it doesn't have any faint rotten whiff about it, you're probably good to leave it under her for another day or so.

Edit: That's what I've just done with mine. I've got one chick out too, a couple halfway there, and one egg unpipped.

When I listened to it, I could hear it cheeping in there!

 

[building15]

Just like to thank every one for there help, i have two lovley chicks, and nearly a third, but egg did not hatch completely and mother hen left the egss to look after chicks. Have removed all other eggs. in hind sight should have had an incubator ready, may be next time.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Congratulations on your two chicks. I'm glad Gypsy07 saw your post and helped you through it.

 

[Gypsy07]

hey, I was just really glad to find someone at pretty much the same stage as me. My broody must have been running her wing-pits at a low temp or something cause my eggs didn't do anything till day 25! I definitely counted correctly cause I had the set date written in my hatching diary. Normally I don't interfere with eggs and if this had been an incubator hatch I'd probably have abandoned it days earlier, but I suppose you have to cut broodies some slack; they're not machines...

I ended up with three chicks, all perfectly healthy.

And thanks to building15 for being my hatch buddy.