Help,hatching ,how long to wait for progress

[ufo_chris]

Hello ,I don't know all the correct terminoligy,I just searced and found a lot of piping and zipping but I'm not sure what exactly it means.
I'm only on day 20 (buff Orps in bator) but heard chirping yesterday. Now there has been a tiny triangle broken out of one egg (is that the pip or piping?) for a couple of hrs now. It looks like it goes all the way through(membrane broken the size of a large pin) and I did see movement. It is however towards the small end. How long should I wait for progress before I help it out (just read about how to do that if the membrane is too dry. ) If the membrane is already broken ,can you remove it ever so gently?
My thought is to make the hole bigger so it can breathe and have an easier time getting out. So how long should I wait.
Also,I did have a problem getting the humidity up, even with a wet sponge ,it is around 60% now.
What is the ziping?
Thanks so much,Chris

 

[ADozenGirlz]

Quote:
The tiny triangle that broke in the egg you describe is called a "pip". It's only day 20 so it's early. You should expect the process to take a long time. It's not a race, it's a marathon for those little guys and they need to rest in between the hard work of trying to get out. If you hear cheeping, the chick is getting air.
"Zipping" is when the chick pecks its way all the way around the circumference of the egg and then they hatch out from the shell.

I had a chick last week who, after 24 hours and no progress for the last 12 hours, I helped. But, it sounds like there's no reason to go in and help out quite yet.

Be patient and don't rush things unless you're sure there's a problem b/c you can do more harm than good. Chicks need to absorb all of the blood in the veining network inside the shell before they're ready to hatch fully and if you rush things, you can sever a blood vessel and they'll bleed to death.

Good luck!

 

[ufo_chris]

Hello,Thanks so much for your answer. I just got worried because I just read a few things in my search,horror stories basically ,how they died because it was to dry or whatever. But thank you ,this gives me a timeline. I was gone a couple of hrs. and when I got back discovered the zip.That was about 2 hrs ago,so you are saying give it at least 24 hrs from first zip right.
What is the average it takes from first zip to complete hatch?
Thanks so much,
Chris

 

[ADozenGirlz]

Quote:
I'm no expert, but these things vary greatly. It's like having a human baby, some babies are born shortly after the first contraction, some take days! Just pay attention to the progress and the behavior of the chick. If it seems to be in obvious distress, then you might want to give it a hand. But be careful not to try to help just because your an anxious new parent as you may do more harm than good.
There is a school of thought that says if it's meant to have trouble hatching, it's Natural Selection and it probably is too weak to survive anyway.

You're doing the right thing by paying attention and keeping the humiditiy in the 60s. Let the chick do its thing and try not to worry.

 

[ufo_chris]

Thanks,I just don't want to loose any if i don't have to. I know what you are saying about the natural selection ,I am just worried it would be because something I did ,like not having the right humidity.
How do you know if it is in obvious distress though? If you see no movement ,no progress at all???
Thanks so much for explaining and helping us neweggs!
Chris

 

[ADozenGirlz]

Quote:
I would help if there was no progress at all after a reasonable period of time based on its activity level. Good luck. I'll be watching for your updates. Don't forget to take photos.

 

[rancher hicks]

While I understand all the literature says it takes 21 days there are no hard or fast rules.
I just had a hatch that lasted 4 days. One chicks hatched 2 days before the hatch was to begin. The others over a period of days. Be patient. Some seem to be doing nothing and then the next thing you know they're out.

 

[ADozenGirlz]

Any progress to report?

 

[ufo_chris]

Well I ended up helping the first one out after the next one was completely hatched (and it didn't even pip till about 7 hrs later) and they are both fine. The first egg still only had a small hole ,16 hrs or more after it first pipped. Sadly my 6 other eggs did not hatch .
I'm sure they wont but I'm still holding on just in case. They were shipped eggs ,I read on here they have less success anyways. They all had live chicks in them 1 week ago,so it's making me sad to think there are 6 dead ones now
On a good note ,I have been letting my 4 new light Brahmas out with my other chickens and ducks and they are doing good. I really like them.
Thanks so much for caring,
Chris

 

[Falcon61]

I only get about 30% hatch on shipped eggs if I'm lucky. Alot of times less than half are fertile so I'm sure most of yours never where chicks.