EEEK! Pipping already!

vwmomof3

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My chicks are due to start hatching on the 25th/26th (depending on how you look at it since they were placed in the incubator in the afternoon), and I just took them out of the automatic egg turner. As I was taking them out of the turner, I started at one corner and worked my way down each row. I got 3 rows out. And all of a sudden noticed an egg in the last row all of a sudden had a small hole in it. And the piece of shell lay right below it on the edge of it's little spot on the egg turner. I hadn't touched any of the eggs around it so nothing had knocked against it to cause it to crack or anything. So I quickly continued to remove the eggs from the turner and placed them back in the incubator as quick as possible. Added the water needed according to the incubator directions and replaced the lid. I tried to handle not touch the egg with the hole any more than I had to, in order to get it moved.
Does this often happen, an egg pipping 2/3 days early? I guess it doesn't seem that odd, but I was just surprised. Hope I didn't interupt it too much.
 
it's moving every now and then but it hasn't pipped anymore, what is the average time from pip to zip and out?
 
It can take as much as 24 hours fairly commonly, and although not nearly as often it can take a couple of days. Then again they have been known to pip and zip in 30 minutes. You just have to set back and tie your hands behind your back.
Best of luck.
 
Is it common for them to pip early though, I wasn't expecting anything for at least two more days? I'm worried that my humidity wasn't high enough, but I bumped it up as soon as I took the egg turner out.
 
Quote:
Is it a Bantam Egg? They can hatch early. I have had Banty eggs pip on Day 18 and hatch Late Day 19
 
It could be, I got the special assorted from McMurries so I don't really know what all I have. It's a small white egg.... thats about it...
tongue.png
 
I'm kind of new at this, so i don't know if it's normal, but i just had standard eggs pip two days early under the hens. They're healthy, so i didn't worry.
 

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