Topic of the Week - Hatching Eggs

[mommakatx2]

Is that an internal pip for sure?

Looks that way! Any progress? When they pip internally they often start cheeping. Also be careful if holding the egg upside down as you don't want fluids leaking down into the air sack or disorient the chick.

 

[abbysilkys]

Looks that way! Any progress? When they pip internally they often start cheeping. Also be careful if holding the egg upside down as you don't want fluids leaking down into the air sack or disorient the chick.

Actually I won't be home for the process, but I hope everything goes well while I'm away. It pipped early because day 21 is Sunday and there is one other egg in there that hadn't pipped when I checked.

 

[abbysilkys]

I can see one egg through a baby monitor app and I notice that the temperature is dropping as one egg is hatching. Will everything be alright until I get home tonight? And I'm pretty sure it just externally pipped because it looks malpositioned. Can it get out on its own? Please give advice.

 

[AmyLynn2374]

I can see one egg through a baby monitor app and I notice that the temperature is dropping as one egg is hatching. Will everything be alright until I get home tonight? And I'm pretty sure it just externally pipped because it looks malpositioned. Can it get out on its own? Please give advice.

Should be fine as long as it's not dropping significantly. Malpositioned often do fine on their own, though they make take a little more time to progress. You should give it 24 hours at least before starting an assist unless it seems to be in distress.

 

[abbysilkys]

I just got home and checked on my hatching egg and it hasn't moved or chirped in a while. Could that be normal?

 

[JaeG]

I just got home and checked on my hatching egg and it hasn't moved or chirped in a while. Could that be normal?

They will go through periods of rest as they pip then unzip as it's hard work breaking free. One of the biggest dangers of trying to help too soon is that you'll hit a vein that hasn't closed off yet and make them bleed.

 

[abbysilkys]

They will go through periods of rest as they pip then unzip as it's hard work breaking free. One of the biggest dangers of trying to help too soon is that you'll hit a vein that hasn't closed off yet and make them bleed. 

All the veins are gone and I picked off some of the shell, not membrane and the membrane is white

 

[JaeG]

All the veins are gone and I picked off some of the shell, not membrane and the membrane is white

As long as the membrane is not going yellow it should be fine. Just keep an eye on it and keep it damp so it doesn't get too tough. You can blot it with warm water every now and then. I've had to help two of my quail hatch and one I did not think was going to make it. I think it was still having hatching spasms when I finally helped it out of its shell despite the fact it hadn't progressed beyond a pip for almost a day and a half. It lay on its side twitching, still attached to its egg by the 'umbilical cord', all afternoon, evening, and was still like that when I went to bed. I was fully prepared to wake up to a dead chick. I was so amazed when I found it alive and well and peeping up a storm, running round the incubator. Birds never cease to amaze me!

 

[abbysilkys]

So it internally pipped yesterday around 2-3pm when should I start to help?

 

[JaeG]

So it internally pipped yesterday around 2-3pm when should I start to help?

It's usually at least 24 hours after they externally pip. I'm not sure about malpositioned chicks though. Maybe search the forums for information on that topic.