Hatching eggs, hear chirping. Normal?????

[Rebjilek]

K.... Here is another question. The egg I was worried about, the one that I could see white membrane, is chirping and its beak comes out every few minutes. The egg is shaking like the chick is getting positioned, but no zipping yet. I know intervention is a last resort, but how do you know if it needs help?????.

 

[Cherstin]

Please, don't intervene! I learned the hard way and lost two out of three chicks because I opened the incubator to get the first one. There is definitely something that goes on with eggs, more than just the humidity. The little one trying to hatch now will probably get a lot of reassurance from the one who's already hatched ... you can probably hear them chirping to each other. I think this helps encourage everyone to "get on the same page." If that noise suddenly goes missing, the one who is in the process of hatching might be scared and stop altogether.

I honestly don't know what would be the point at which someone would want to intervene. It can take up to 24 hours for a chick to break through the shell. Knowing that, just try to be patient and get that brooder ready!