Its day 21

[msthunder]

Please forgive me if these questions have been answered over and over!!!

My hubby and I are incubating eggs for the first time. Today is day 21 and about 4 a.m. this morning i HEARD the chicks chirping thru their shells. It was quite loud and frequent for a while but i haven't heard anything for about an hour now. Should i be worried?

Also, can someone tell me what zipping and pipping is?

When the chicks come out of their shell, do i immediately take it out and put it in the brooder?

Thanks so much for your info and patience with a newbie.

I AM SO EXCITED!!!!!!!

 

[nivtup]

No worry required. Cheeping is normal.

Pipping is the first fracture of the shell, will look like a small triangular bump.

Zipping, which occurs anywhere from 2 minutes to 24 hours later, is when the chick rotates and breaks the "lid" off of the shell.

You can leave them in the bator for up to 3 days, although we use 24 hours as the mark.

Leave the bator closed until the hatch is complete. You do not want to loose the humidity.


Good luck

 

[msthunder]

Thanks so much! I am so ready for them to hatch out. Guess patience is a virtue when waiting on ur babies!!!

 

[wowmanacat]

This is my first hatch and I am going nuts waiting for the first chirp and for the first pip. I am only on day 17/18 depending on how you count. I turned once this morning and will turn again once later today and then keep the humidity up from now on. My temp is all over the place but at candle last night all was moving.

 

[ADozenGirlz]

Quote:
It IS so exciting!! Here are some photos from a thread of mine that may help you with the "pipping" and "zipping" concept (pages 6 and 8 have the best shots) https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=367974&p=6

I have a Brinsea Mini Advance incubator and as soon as they are fluffed out and fully dry, I take them out and put them in the brooder regardless of the hatch status of the others. This type of bator gets back up to temp in no time and my feeling is that b/c the bator is so small, the hatched chick's breathing creates much more humidity than is necessary in there (plus, they flail around and walk all over the remaining eggs that are trying to hatch, which can't be very fun for the others!).


Here's a fun hatching video that I took of one of my first hatches. I've seen it a million times, but it's fascinating to me every single time!
CHICK HATCHING VIDEO

Good luck. Keep us posted with photos!

 

[SierraView]

You will find a wealth of information here.

 

[msthunder]

Ok, its 1:15 p.m. here & still no pip. I first heard the chirping at 4 this morning.

 

[ADozenGirlz]

Quote:
"Patience, Grasshopper."

 

[Balbinka]

Welcome to BYC!

Any progress with the babies?

 

[chick4smiles]

I'm addicted to this thread! It's like a prime-time drama!