Is it a Pip?

[duckling 1234]

I've got this duck egg in the 'bator, with this little tiny hole in it. Probably about the size of a pin head. He hasn't made any effort to enlarge the hole... Could it be a pip?

 

[1lpoock]

If the hole is pushed up then its probably a pip. Sometimes they will make a small crack and then wait a while to make a bigger one.

 

[kelseygirl707]

Hmm, I guess if it's supposed to be hatching right now it could be a pip. I have duck eggs pipped in the bator now, and it just looks like the shell is cracked and pushed outward. Keep us updated.

 

[duckling 1234]

Quote:
What do you mean when you say "if the hole is pushed up"?

 

[FenDruadin]

Sounds like a pip to me. When they begin to hatch, first they punch a hole in the air sac (the internal pip) and breathe that air for a day or two. When that oxygen begins to run out, they punch a small hole in the shell (the external pip, often just called "the pip") to let fresh oxygen in. They often will rest for another day or two after that before beginning to enlarge the hole. They need to rest, absorb the yolk, and build strength for the difficult process of hatching.

You may or may not be able to tell just by looking whether it is "pushed out." If you could touch it, you would feel it as a bump, but you don't want to be handling it because you can damage its ability to hatch by messing with it or the incubator. So sit on your hands in a day or two expect to see that little hole getting bigger.

Congrats!