Is my egg pipping?

[BethLeopard]

We have a brooder sitting. 3 chicks have hatched and now nothing. I picked an egg up and heard a "tap, tap, tap." If there is no hole does that still mean it is pipping? It's been 2 days since I picked the egg up.

 

[speckledhen]

We have a brooder sitting. 3 chicks have hatched and now nothing. I picked an egg up and heard a "tap, tap, tap." If there is no hole does that still mean it is pipping? It's been 2 days since I picked the egg up.

A tapping noise means that it was in the air cell, had broken through the membrane when you heard that, called pipped internally, however, if it's been two days, it may not hatch. Many chicks make it into the air cell and just do not hatch for various reasons, sometimes because they are deformed in some way and cannot hatch. When that happens, it's best they just don't. And you should candle the egg to see if there is movement. If not, and the mass of chick has shrunk back from the aircell, it has probably deceased.

What day is it on? If it's a couple days past Day 21, it's most likely not going to hatch.

 

[BethLeopard]

Can someone tell me how to candle? I don't have a professional one.

 

[Yorkshire Coop]

This is a great article on how to make a candler https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/...-egg-candler-using-common-household-materials
ETA These are some pics of eggs being candle to give you an idea of what to look for https://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=230

 

[BethLeopard]

thank you Golden Feather!

 

[Yorkshire Coop]

No probs! You can also use a flashlight/torch in the same respect with a tube over it. The aim is to get as much light as possible into the egg. I would also you suggest you candle in the dark as it gives a better result. Best of luck to you.

 

[speckledhen]

Can someone tell me how to candle? I don't have a professional one.

You don't need one. Just need a very bright small flashlight like a Maglight and a very dark place to do it. I do it all the time. When needed, I use an old fashioned projector with a donut made from a rolled up washcloth to cushion the egg and concentrate the light, but those are very hot so you can't leave them sitting on there more than a few seconds; thankfully, at 300 watts, you don't need more than a few.