If you handle the eggs can you ruin their viability?

[MareeZoCool]

Yesterday was day 21 for my hen's setting. I lost my self control and picked up an egg, listened to it I swear I heard a tiny "peep" inside. No signs of pipping, just a very warm egg I gave it right back to momma, she didn't do any re-arranging just sat still.

No hatchlings this morning. should I be worried, or is it normal for a hen's natural hatching-out to take more than 21 days? Could I have ruined that egg/fetus by moving it?

 

[LaSombra]

Quote:
give it a few more days. Just like people don't take exactly 40 weeks necessarily, chicks don't necessarily take exactly 21 days. That's just the "due date" and it takes quite a while from first little peep to pip and from pip to pop. They have a lot of work to do to get out of that shell.