I'm Freaking out a Little Bit

[Cousgirl]

One of my Australorps just hatched! I'm pretty happy. Right now, it's just flopping about, chirpping and knocking into the other eggs and waking them up which I assume is a good thing-a few of them are chirpping and chipping away. But the very first egg that pipped did so about 13 or 14 hours ago and hasn't made much progress and I no longer hear chirpping from her. When do I intervene, and if so, what do I do??? I don't want to open the incubator and wreck the other's chances, but then again, I don't want to just let this chick die....what to do???

Any advice would be welcome. Thanks!

 

[Kittymomma]

Sit On Your Hands!

It's hard to leave the bator alone, but most of the time you will do more harm then good if you go knocking about in there. It can take 24 hours from pip to hatch (sometimes longer) so you really don't need to worry yet. If you start opening the bator up to mess with things you'll mess up the temp. and humidity and can make it so the chicks trying to hatch get shrink wrapped (dried out membranes) and die.

They'll often stop chirping for long periods of time, hatching is hard work and seems to require a lot of naps so try not to worry about it being quiet. It is true that sometimes they pip and die, but far more likely that your little one is just taking a break. Hang in there and be sure to post fuzzy butt pictures when it's all done.

 

[Cousgirl]

Thank you sooooo much! I've been trying hard to just leaving up to Mother Nature to deal with, but I didn't want to just sit around if I was supposed to do something. The first one that pipped had been working pretty hard all day at the little hole it's made, so I suppose it could be resting. I'd be sleeping too if it werent' for the other one knocking around.

So, thanks! I will just wait it out and hope she/he hears the other chick cheeping and want to come out to play. Fingers crossed!

 

[Fairybee]

im sure it'll be fine Cousgirl let us know how it all goes

 

[Cousgirl]

I'm afraid the first one that pipped looks dead. I'm not sure, but it's not moving or pipping anymore and I haven't seen it move since early this morning. He/she had been working so hard! I took a tiny bit of shell off and still no movement. I've cranked up the humidity and am trying to give it more time, just in case. There's another egg in there that's not moving.

How long do I give these guys a chance? It's exactly day 21.

So far, it's been pretty good. I got four healthy, chirpping chicks out of seven. I'm sad, but pretty happy that some survived. Thanks for all your help, everyone.

 

[Mrs. Feathers]

It is so hard to do but I think you have done the right thing not opening the incubator. In my last hatch I had two pip first at basically the same time. One of them took 20 hours to hatch and I have a lovely fiesty little chick and the other never did hatch. Following those two I had two that basically burst out of the eggs and healthy and strong. I was so tempted to open the incubator to help that first one that pipped but did not hatch. In reflection I am happy I listened to the advice of the experienced hatchers here and left the incubator shut, as I could have put the healthy hatches at risk to help one who may not have been a strong, viable chick in the end.