My eggs are piping and I'm not sure if I should help or not.

[S010W01F]

I'm not sure whether or not I should at least peck a hole through the membrane to make sure the chick doesn't suffocate or drown. Any advice?

 

[Cindy07]

They should be fine. Leave them for alone for a 24 hours or more. It you help them hatch before they are ready it can kill the chick.

 

[AmyLynn2374]

I'm not sure whether or not I should at least peck a hole through the membrane to make sure the chick doesn't suffocate or drown. Any advice?

It looks like someone is already picking at it?

Chicks only drown if the humidity has been too high over the incubation period and the egg hasn't lost enough moisture. Once they pip the egg shell and you see that little bump in the shell, it can take another 24 hours before they are ready to actually hatch. One of the biggest risks to messing with an egg too soon is that the veining of the vascular system still heavily runs through the membranes and severing can cause extreme bleeding.

With all that being said, I'd be lying if I said that I never have interfered when I didn't need to and made sure the outer membrane had a little air hole.

In all honesty though, usually they are fine as long as the humidity is up and they are chirping/moving.

 

[S010W01F]

He/She has been chirping ever since I noticed the pip. The rest of the eggs were also incubated at the same time. Is it safe to say that they will also pip around today or tomorrow? This is my first hatching for a science project and I am really nervous.

 

[S010W01F]

Well I just put more water in the reservoir. I also have 7 other eggs. Is it safe to say that they will also start piping around today and tomorrow. It's my first hatching and they're for a science project, so I'm really nervous. Any other advice would be really helpful and would be really grateful for.

 

[FridayYet]

Try to get some rest and check on them in the morning. (That's my best advice at this point!)

 

[AmyLynn2374]

Generally once the first one starts hatching, whatever is going to hatch will hatch within 48 hours. There's always exceptions, but you can usually count on a 48 hour window. Most of mine from start to finsih are 24 hours.

 

[BaileyMChicks]

What day are your eggs on? Because if its day 20 then the rest should be out by the next day. I have never hatched in an incubator, but with my hens all chicks hatched on the same day(generally day 20, but some were out by day 19). I will be getting a brinsea mini eco incubator in about a week and I'm going to be setting eggs on the 6th of March....Wish me luck. I'm most likely going to be a nervous wreck the whole time...The eggs should hatch 3 days after my birthday, or on Easter(same thing lol), so I'm going to have birthday chicks and Easter chicks.

 

[S010W01F]

They are on day 21 right now. I get home around 5 pm and I hope that no complications arise. So far to my knowledge, there are only 2 eggs that have piped so by the time I get home, I hope to see some bigger changes.

 

[AmyLynn2374]

They are on day 21 right now. I get home around 5 pm and I hope that no complications arise. So far to my knowledge, there are only 2 eggs that have piped so by the time I get home, I hope to see some bigger changes.