Piping...don't know what to do

[lilpaws]

Hello.

I am new to this incubation thing and I have 15 guinea eggs that are due to hatch any day now. We noticed that there are 6 eggs that have piped, but there has been no other activity since. I would think I would hear something or see more action but I have not. Any suggestions. Any thing would be helpful.

 

[Kiki]

I suggest you sitting tight and waiting.
Probably painful to wait, but waiting is sometimes the only thing you can do.
Welcome to BYC! and good luck on your hatch.

 

[MrsBachbach]

Don't know about guineas, but with chickens it is quite normal to get pips and no action for another 12hrs sometimes. Now, once that chick starts zipping it can sometimes go quickly or sometimes a bit more slowly. The chick will peck away a bit, rest awhile and start up again. It can sometimes take one hour or several hours. However, if it has started zipping and then stops with no more progress for eight hours, it may be stuck and in need of assistance. You will want to read threads on assisting chicks in hatching before proceeding with that if that is what you want to do.

 

[lilpaws]

Thank you. We had one zipping and by the time we came back from dinner it has passed away. Not sure what happened.

 

[MrsBachbach]

Sometimes they are just too weak to hatch and may not have lasted if you had assisted it. Sometimes the air cell may be too small and too much fluid in egg and they drown in fluid. Neither is a good situation and the chick will not make it. A chick that is just stuck through no fault of it's own (some part of it's body may be glued to inside shell preventing it from turning to zip) will usually still be alive and can be removed from it's shell once the "hatch" is finished.

 

[lilpaws]

Thank you so much.