# Chicks Peeping LOUDLY in Egg, But No Pipping



## Rechellef

I have some Copper Maran and Welsumer Eggs in the bator that I thought had no chance of hatching (I thought the temps fluctuated too much, but I guess not). It is day 21, and I have a couple of chicks peeping and one practically screaming, but no pipping. I have a circulating air bator and the temp is at 99.5 and the humidity is at 55%, so conditions have been ideal since day 18. I know there is nothing I can do to help them, but how long should I give my valuable little chicks to hatch? Also, I have heard that both these breeds are more difficult to hatch, although I don't know exactly why. I am just praying some of these little ones make it out of their eggs.


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## Vickie44

I dont know the answer but good luck with the stress.


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## sunflower-n-ks

I would give them several more days.

If your thermometer is not registering exactly right, and they can vary from one to another, then the actual temps may be off. If lower, then the eggs will take longer to hatch.

Chicks do peep before they pip. I will pick up an egg and listen for scratching or peeping to check for a soon to hatch chick.


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## oregon woodsmok

I don't hatch chickens, but a duck can take 2 full days to hatch, and that's after the pip. They can be peeping a day or 2 before they pip.

I don't know how well that translates into chickens, but there isn't much you can do, anyway, except to wait. You can kill a chick very easily by trying to help.

Maybe you could go out for a pizza and rent a movie to distract yourself.


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## eclipchic

Our living incubator (read: broody hen) has a couple under her that started pipping today and then tonight one for sure has hatched. Still waiting on the rest


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## Rechellef

Well, it looked like they all died and one only pipped a tiny bit and there is no more peeping. Next time, I am just gonna wait for my silkies to go broody before spending a bunch of money on expensive fertile eggs. DANG IT!!


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## PD-Riverman

From my experience with incubators is if you are opening it and picking up eggs to look/listen or what ever you are causing the moisture/temp to escape out of the incubator and that will increase the chances of the eggs not hatching, chicks dying in the eggs. I have the styrofoam incubators and I remove the turner on the 18th day and DO NOT open the incubator again till the 22nd day even if chicks start hatching on the 20th day----they will be fine in it for 2 more days and have had real good luck hatching out eggs. My first attempt to incubate was not so good, I open the incubator often to remove a hatched chick or just to look. I think 5 out of 38 eggs hatched---I broke open some of the eggs that did not hatch on the 24th day----dead chicks inside. Now I hatch out usually 80% or better. I do light my eggs on the 12th day and the 18th day. If I put in 47 eggs, I remove some "bad" eggs on the 12th day. Eggs that I think are bad but Might make it I leave till the 18th day. On the 18th day I open the incubator, ""working quickly"" remove the turner with eggs in it----lite each egg, remove the bad eggs, replace the good eggs, add extra pre-warmed water, close the incubator till the 22nd day. I usually end up with around 35good eggs give or take and hatch out close 30 of them give or take. Doing it this way works best for ME. Good Luck in the future if you incubate some more.


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## Rechellef

That's the whole thing - I don't open up while pipping. I did have to add more water to up the humidity, but no one was pipping yet. I did manage to hear one chick this morning, so I will give it another couple of days.


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## DanielY

I incubated a bunch of Seramas last year. They are very difficult with lots of chicks upside down and others unable to hatch on their own. We had a zero hatch rate on shipped eggs and not a lot better on our own without helping. You can in fact help a chick hatch. Not the wisest thing to do and you have to know what you are doing. Btu I have helped lots of chicks hatch.

From my experience it sounds like your chicks are stick int eh shell and eventually are getting shrink wrapped or just dying form exhaustion. They could be failing to pip due to Mal position. I sort of developed an inner clock. movement or peeping form the egg to the pip is really hard to judge. Movement for a day and then nothing usually means the chick died without you ever really having a chance to help. Once the chick does pip though I require it be hatched within 24 hours. I have a bunch of bench marks along the way and continually make sure the chick reaches each bench mark. I loose very few chicks this way. Many people will argue that a chick that required help hatching is inferior. I disagree. We try to hatch them artificially so we introduce artificial hardships.

Anyway if you are getting any movement or sound out of your eggs i would make a small hole int eh air sack end of the egg and then look in very carefully to see if the chick is in fact breathing. moving etc. you have to work very carefully and make as tiny a hole as possible. In truth you cannot realy do any more harm. your chicks are in trouble already.


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## LFRJ

Man. That's a stumper. I'm watching this thread in hopes that you get an answer. I imagine your hopes were up real high when you heard peeping too! What a crushing feeling to know they made it so close. I'd be bummed as well. I'd not heard that Marans and Welsummers are hard to hatch. We did it with a still air styrofoam LG. 

Backyard chickens has a forum that moves real fast! There are hundreds (maybe thousands) of chicken lovers over there, and a thread specifically for hatching. If you signed on (it's free) and posted your question there, I bet you'd get some answers if no one has any suggestions here.


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## eclipchic

I keep checking back to see if any hatched. Any luck?


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## Rechellef

No luck - we lost this hatch unfortunately. I am retiring the incubator until February or March of next year. However, I do have a flock of 6 Silkie hens, so they may be my live incubators instead since they are such good brooders.


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## kenworth

Before I went to school, kindergarten in fact, I helped LOTS of chicks hatch. 

I was scolded like crazy but I felt like they wanted me to help them. And, that's what I told my mom when she yelled at me. They wanted my help. From what I remember they all lived.


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## Rechellef

Kenworth - I have helped chicks hatch in the past. I had some blue Ameracaunas and White Crested black polish that were shrink wrapped in their eggs. Someone suggested that I run warm water (about 100 degrees) over the egg without drowning the chick and gently chip away some of the shell. In addition, I was careful of the umbilicus and did let the chicks do the final push in the incubator. The chicks I assisted would have otherwise died in their shells and I did save 4 out of 6 that way. I wish I had done this with this hatch as well, but I had been so busy, that I didn't make time to do it this time around (I am a truckers wife and take care of the farm, home and children on my own).


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## VA Susan

Sorry you lost your chicks, Redchellef. It always hurts to lose chicks.


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