How can you tell?

[bobbi-j]

I've seen a couple of posts today about chick "internally pipping" and "breaking through the air sac". So I'm wondering, how do you know what's going on inside the egg? I've never been able to see that, and I have incubated several batches over the years. What am I missing?

 

[HEChicken]

Haha - I know what you mean. By the time they get to that point the egg is so dark I can never see much of anything either. Probably the people you mention are hearing the chicks peeping and that's how they know they have internally pipped. They can't peep until they've broken into the air sac and started to breathe air so at that point you know they've internally pipped.

 

[chkinut]

thanks! i never knew the answer to that either and didn't even think to ask! why didn't i ask? lol!