Ok Im back day 21 and so far nothing

Yes, now realize we have only done this one time...but we read so many articles here for over a year and then did what we felt was best. But here's what happens: The chick is "poked" into internal pipping because she is ready to hatch and needs to breathe. The build up of carbon dioxide tells her to move and when she raises her head and pushes against the membrane (the thing that causes so much trouble when you're trying to peel a hard boiled egg) the little egg tooth on the tip of her beak pierces the membrane. Then, her head can reach up into the air cell and she can breathe! Pretty exciting!! Now she can cheep and call to the mama hen and the rest of her clutch. I have read that a mama hen hears this and knows there is/are more babies to come and they cluck back in encouragement.
Doing all this is exhausting for a tiny baby, and they rest a lot. In a normal hatching, they will next start to peck at the inside of the shell. This is the "external pip". You see a tiny crack pushing out. If all goes well, the baby keeps pecking at this and resting and pecking until they finally make (zip) a little "connect the dots" of holes all around the top and then out crawls a wet, scraggly, ....well, here. Let me show you. (see pic) That was our first one, still in the incubator.
Like I said, this is exhausting, and can take a long time. Keep your humidity up because the membrane CAN dry out and do what they call "shrink wrapping" and cling to the baby, which can kill it. This is a whole other kettle of fish and normally doesn't happen, but high humidity at this point to keep the membrane wet is important.
Keep us posted. I'll watch for your posts.
Aww too cute! The humidity is up to 65 right. After I let my dogs out I will see if we got a baby! Thank you so much! I'm eggcited!
 
Yes, now realize we have only done this one time...but we read so many articles here for over a year and then did what we felt was best. But here's what happens: The chick is "poked" into internal pipping because she is ready to hatch and needs to breathe. The build up of carbon dioxide tells her to move and when she raises her head and pushes against the membrane (the thing that causes so much trouble when you're trying to peel a hard boiled egg) the little egg tooth on the tip of her beak pierces the membrane. Then, her head can reach up into the air cell and she can breathe! Pretty exciting!! Now she can cheep and call to the mama hen and the rest of her clutch. I have read that a mama hen hears this and knows there is/are more babies to come and they cluck back in encouragement.
Doing all this is exhausting for a tiny baby, and they rest a lot. In a normal hatching, they will next start to peck at the inside of the shell. This is the "external pip". You see a tiny crack pushing out. If all goes well, the baby keeps pecking at this and resting and pecking until they finally make (zip) a little "connect the dots" of holes all around the top and then out crawls a wet, scraggly, ....well, here. Let me show you. (see pic) That was our first one, still in the incubator.
Like I said, this is exhausting, and can take a long time. Keep your humidity up because the membrane CAN dry out and do what they call "shrink wrapping" and cling to the baby, which can kill it. This is a whole other kettle of fish and normally doesn't happen, but high humidity at this point to keep the membrane wet is important.
Keep us posted. I'll watch for your posts.
So I didnt hear anything when I went out there so I decided to play chirping noises to see if it would chirp back. To my amazement it pipped!
 
Yes, now realize we have only done this one time...but we read so many articles here for over a year and then did what we felt was best. But here's what happens: The chick is "poked" into internal pipping because she is ready to hatch and needs to breathe. The build up of carbon dioxide tells her to move and when she raises her head and pushes against the membrane (the thing that causes so much trouble when you're trying to peel a hard boiled egg) the little egg tooth on the tip of her beak pierces the membrane. Then, her head can reach up into the air cell and she can breathe! Pretty exciting!! Now she can cheep and call to the mama hen and the rest of her clutch. I have read that a mama hen hears this and knows there is/are more babies to come and they cluck back in encouragement.
Doing all this is exhausting for a tiny baby, and they rest a lot. In a normal hatching, they will next start to peck at the inside of the shell. This is the "external pip". You see a tiny crack pushing out. If all goes well, the baby keeps pecking at this and resting and pecking until they finally make (zip) a little "connect the dots" of holes all around the top and then out crawls a wet, scraggly, ....well, here. Let me show you. (see pic) That was our first one, still in the incubator.
Like I said, this is exhausting, and can take a long time. Keep your humidity up because the membrane CAN dry out and do what they call "shrink wrapping" and cling to the baby, which can kill it. This is a whole other kettle of fish and normally doesn't happen, but high humidity at this point to keep the membrane wet is important.
Keep us posted. I'll watch for your posts.
We got a baby chick! It keeps pecking 2 of the other eggs, do they know if the others are alive? It's not messing with the third egg at all.
 
Awesome!! Congratulations! Pictures? Are the other 2 eggs cheeping? You can pick them up and hold to your ear. If not, do either of them smell bad? And yes, the chick that has hatched will cheep and the one/s still inside will peep back. It's like they encourage each other. Also, I read that the mother hen will wait 3 days before taking the brood and leaving the nest if she is still hearing peeps from the unhatched ones. So it's sort of like "mom, don't go, I'm still in here." Also, there are things you CAN do to check/help at this point, but frankly, I would not. Wait and see. Keep the humidity up.
 

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