peeping and piping

[jean12000]

My eggs were due to start hatching yesterday, they have started peeping but no piping,
how long should I wait before I start to worry.......uh any more then I already am

 

[Ridgerunner]

Yes, it is nerve wracking. But the serious worrying can wait another day or two.

Chicken eggs seldom hatch at exactly 21 days. Several different things can effect that. The first one that we all think of is incubation temperature. If the average incubation temperature is a bit warm, the eggs can be early. I've had them pipping at lockdown. If the average temperature is a bit cool, they can be late, maybe 2 to 3 days late. Some of the other things that can affect them are incubation humidity, size of the eggs (smaller hatch earlier, larger hatch later), heredity, age of the eggs before you put them in the incubator, and how they are stored before they go in the incubator.

Then there is always the question, did you count the days right? If you set them on a Tuesday, the 21 days are up on a Tuesday. That just gets you to the general time they might hatch. Then the other stuff comes into play.

Good luck! It sounds like you are doing OK if they are peeping.

 

[cmom]

I agree. There are a lot of factors that can affect the hatching. Be patient. Since you are hearing peeping it seems as though they have piped on the inside. Be patient. You can not help them. They must hatch on their own. I only help if they are partially zipped and stuck. If you try to early they will die. Good luck and have fun!!!