How long should it take to hatch??? Egg has been pipped for10 hours!!!

[Wifezilla]

Strong flashlight. I could see the shadow of the beak in the air cell.

Yes, I opened the bator yesterday, but the humidity had spiked over 90% and I needed to get the humidity level lowered anyway. It is stable at 80% today...great for ducks

 

[Cherlyn]

Wow. I need to get me a huge mag-lite.

 

[mackelchea]

Cheryln,
Another way thAT u can tell the chicks have piped internally is you can hear the chick sqeeking inside the egg but no pip on the outside shell.

The advise not to open the incubator is sound advise!! especially after the egg(s) has been piped and has a little hole or chip-you can ruin a hatch easily-

I have helped hatch chicks-with 50/50 luck- I usually wait untill the good hatchers are out of their eggs-

Here's my method>>>
I take a small flat-tip screwdriver and physically take the big-end of the shell off-chiping small pieces off carefully-Almost like a chick would- then I run a small stream of warm water from my bathroom faucet-start peeling away the wet membrane-usually the chick will be sqeeking the whole time-

I never take the chick out physically(well hardly ever)

One thing I'd warn who ever tries this> If when your peeling the membrane and you get blood that usually means the yoke has not been already sucked into tha abdomin yet then you have real problems
so that's why I usually wait untill it looks like all the others are out safely-

 

[Cherlyn]

I thought I heard a cheep cheep earlier, but, then again, the brooder is right next to the incubator, and there are four chicks in the brooder. One of them could have let out a little peep in their sleep.

~Cherlyn

 

[buc]

Quote:
Don't worry about the temp drop while you help the little one out, the mother does get off the egg for up to twenty minutes a day to poop,pee, eat and drink.

You are just being the hen during that time you have the bator cooling.

I don't (normally) help the chic out of the shell, often if they are too weak to make it out on thier own, they don't normally have the will to live.

 

[Hangin Wit My Peeps]

Mine have always been right around 12-15 hours after pip to start zipping and then that takes a while too. Good luck!

 

[Wynette]

I agree with buc. I don't help, either. A chick that has to be helped out is one that is too weak to hatch, and thus, will be a weak adult. I'm sure that's not true in all cases, but as sad as it is, IMO it's just best not to help. I've had them pip and take 26 hours to hatch, and hatch just fine. I've also had them pip & die. It's SO hard not to help...and to wait for them to hatch! Last hatch I was well into the 21st day with nothing happening. I thought for sure I must have had a temp spike I didn't know about during the day while at work or something, and they were all dead. THen, I went back to bed (it was almost midnight) and when I woke up, there were several fuzz-butts running around in the bator!

 

[Wifezilla]

It's SO hard not to help...and to wait for them to hatch!

NOW you tell me!

 

[BeardedChick]

Ok, Wifezilla, it's you and me on DuckWatch. One of my Swedish Runner eggs pipped yesterday (a day or two early), the rest are still cozy in their eggs, contemplating life.

Humidity is sitting at 80%.

 

[selinagil]

OK evryone My chick is here!!!!!!!!!! It's sooooo cute--Half Buff Orpington and I think half Black Australorp. It had to be either BA or Barred Rock and it's got black feet so I'm going with BA.