I have been reading articles, blog posts and message boards to ease my mind because chicks typically pip on the 20th day and hatch on the 21st. Luckily there are PLENTY of folks out there who have eggs that hatch on the 24th-27th days and better still, their chicks come out fine. I have read that the incubator that we have can fluctuate enough to create delayed hatching. We also did not have a gauge to detect the humidity level so I wasn't sure if there might have been a problem there or not.
Anyway, I digress. Every single thing I read reminded me to have patience which was hilarious because I had more patience when my own baby was almost 2 weeks overdue! I think the difference was that with Logan, I was doing the most natural thing where as having eggs in an incubator is not so natural. It's harder to just trust that nature will find a way when there are so many external factors, or interventions if you will, involved. The good news is that our patience paid off because we have our first pip and LOTS of peeping going on today!
We left for a few hours and then we came home to this!
It can take up to 24 hours for a chick to work it's way out of an egg so it was such a pleasant surprise for it to have hatched so quickly! They usually "unzip" the shell with a little egg tooth on the front of their beak (making a small crack most of the way around the diameter). Then they uncurl and straighten out their little bodies, pushing their head and feet away from each other and cracking the egg open the rest of the way. In the time spent between pipping and actually hatching, they absorb the remaining yolk and blood vessels (nature is truly fascinating). This is why helping a chick hatch is STRONGLY discouraged. If you remove the shell before they are ready it can kill a perfectly healthy chick immediately. They then live off of that last bit of yolk that they absorbed for the next 24 hours while they rest and dry off. The hatching process is very hard work for a little chick just as the birthing process is hard work for a human baby. Once they are dry and fluffy we will move them into the brooder where they will start eating and drinking all on their own.
It's hatching time folks and we are so excited!
~Sarah
Flashback! Here's what we were up to one year ago today: "1st Trimester Recap {Baby Number 2}"
Two years ago today: "Blueberry Monster"
And three years ago today: "Napping House"
Congrats. That was so exciting and I learned so much. I am thinking of getting some chickens in our backyard. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteCongrats. That was so exciting and I learned so much. I am thinking of getting some chickens in our backyard. Thanks for sharing.
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