I was starting to lose hope for one of my pairs 3 eggs.

The hen kicked out all the nesting and wanted to always have the eggs outside the concave on the bottom of the nest.

This would cause them to roll around quite a bit when she left as there was nothing around them to stop it.

 

Well, After checking again this afternoon and seeing a freshly laid egg and still no babies, I figured that that was it.

But I lifted one of the eggs to my ear and sure enough, I heard a high pitched peep coming from inside.

Needless to say it surprised me and I almost dropped it, can't say I've ever experienced that.

 

I'm sure it just means its ready to come out, but just in case...

 

Do I need to help the chick?

I was starting to lose hope for one of my pairs 3 eggs.

The hen kicked out all the nesting and wanted to always have the eggs outside the concave on the bottom of the nest.

This would cause them to roll around quite a bit when she left as there was nothing around them to stop it.

 

Well, After checking again this afternoon and seeing a freshly laid egg and still no babies, I figured that that was it.

But I lifted one of the eggs to my ear and sure enough, I heard a high pitched peep coming from inside.

Needless to say it surprised me and I almost dropped it, can't say I've ever experienced that.

 

I'm sure it just means its ready to come out, but just in case...

 

Do I need to help the chick?

 

Hi Maddy. There shouldn't be any trouble. your chick has to cut his way out of the shell himself from the inside.

Any interference at this stage usually proves fatal. Extracting or helping a chick from the final remnant is okay.

It normally takes some time for a chick to exit the shell. Nature lets the chick work at his own pace. Yours B.J.

Thats what I thought, but I also though 'Hey, can't hurt to ask?'

Considering I've never heard a chick inside the egg before

Hi Maddy, It's lovely hearing that little cheep in the egg. I think I read it can take 24hrs for chick to hatch after they cheep/ or they cheep 24hrs or so before starting to hatch, something like that. I'd just leave egg with Mum and keep watch. Are the other eggs due or overdue? if she's laid a fresh egg is that the finish of 1st round or is she starting to lay AGAIN before first chicks are hatched?

 

P.s just to add DON'T try to help chick out of shell because they absorb the last of egg sac up until they hatch and they can bleed to death if this hasn't happened before hatching themselves. unless like b.j. said once it's out you can removed any shell still caught on chick.

Edited March 25, 201213 yr by robyn