pip ? help

[ruger 21]

so how long after they first peck a small hole before the should hatch out.

 

[americana-lover]

I would estimate from a few minutes to a few hours

 

[ruger 21]

been about 6 hrs should I try to help open.

 

[BryanP]

Oh the mystery of the pip!!! I have had em take as short as thirty minutes, but as long as a day. The problem is if the Chick dries out, or the membrane dries out, the chick will get stuck and be unable to pip/hatch.

I watch the Pipped egg very carefully and make sure the humidity stays above 60%. If it continues rocking and moving, or you can here the chick chirping, then I let it be. But if the pipped opening starts to turn brown, look crusty, the egg quits moving, or there is no response/noise from the chick. I intervene.

I have a very fine point pair of tweezers that I use to slowly and carefully make the pipped hole larger. It's important to watch SO carefully that you do not contact the chick with the tweezers. And if you contact any bloody membrane resistant you need to stop. I also ensure that I routinely moisten the membrane around the area I'm removing with a warm water moistened q-tip.

Patience is warranted, unless the chick looks compromised. I have had helped chicks to pip free that have lived and thrived, as well as suffer failure to thrive and die.

Good luck, hope it helps.

 

[SilkieMomPoof]

I have had Bobwhites pip and then not come out until three whole days later! I was sure they were dead, but then they hatched out without a problem! But it could also be that yours have dried out in the shell and need assistance. I might wait a little while longer if I were you, but that is up to you.

 

[Silkies~Polishes]

Can you hear any peeps from the eggs?
I agree with the above poster it can take a while. On average I would say at most a few hours, sometimes even minutes, but it may take longer. My recent button quail hatch I had 14 eggs, 5 hatched fine without problems, 1 had to be helped, because it had a twisted neck and couldn't zip. By the end of the day I was confused why the other 8 had only pipped and not done anything, cracked them open and they were all dead.
Also another thing to watch for, atleast in my experience is if they stop midzip. Many of the dead chicks and the twisted neck chick had zipped about 1/3 the way around and then stopped.

 

[TwoCrows]

Yeah, sometimes they pip and wait a long time to continue. Could be 24 hours from now. When they "pip", it means the oxygen in the air cell has run out and the carbon dioxide has built up enough to stimulate the chick to poke a hole thru the shell to breath. It can rest like that, breathing regular air for quite sometime.

But do not open the incubator and keep the humidity up. 60% to 70%. You don't want to dry the chick out so that he sticks to the shell. Just let him be for now. I wouldn't try to pry him out. At this point he is acting in the normal fashion.

 

[underground chickenman]

Franky, I don't intervene at all, but I am not raising pets. I know there will be tons of success stories, but generally speaking, those that have to be helped often do not do well. I want the best stock to survive, so I don't assist those that can't make it on their own. I realize that the reason some don't make it on their own may have less to do with the vitality of the chick and more to do with human error, but that's my policy.

For those who wish to intervene, I recommend that you not intervene before at least 24 hours have past since pipping. It is common for them to pip and then do nothing for a day. As long as your temp and humidity are good, let nature take its course. If you open the incubator, your humidity will drop instantly and any eggs that have pipped will be in danger shrink wrapping the chick because of the rapidly drying membrane.

If you must open the bator and it is portable, open it in a warm steamy bathroom after you have run the shower for a few minutes to fog it up, and then be quick about. I have done this successfully when I have had considerable differences (24 hours or so) between the first and last ones out of the shell and have to the get early hatchers to the brooder.

Also, TwoCrows makes a good point. A chick that pips is not necessarily ready to hatch. This is especially true of your earliest pips. At that point, the chick is still connected to the membrane and may be absorbing the yolk sac. Assisting at this stage will kill the chick. I find that the earlier the pip, the longer the wait, while the later pippers tend to pip and zip in close succession. It all has to do with when the chick is ready to hatch, which is not always indicated by pipping.

UGCM

 

[Gemski]

Great advice from underground chickenman!! Very sound advice. I have helped stragglers that clearly are alive but the membrane has dried hard. Some still struggle and don't make it for what ever reason, some of my best birds have needed help. I have had chicks pip and take well over 24hrs before going to the next stage of hatching. It's definitely a waiting game, where patience is tested to it's limit.
After years of doing it, I always question this hatch and try to remember what last hatch was like, that's where notes come in handy for future reference, but no two hatches can be/are the same.
Humidity is so important, so as underground chickenman advises, don't open the bator unless it's absolutely necessary.
Good luck with your hatch