How long from the time a chick peeps through till it should be out of the shell?

-- Elizabeth (scrub@lcc.net), February 04, 2002

Answers

It depends on how well you we able to keep the temp. and humidity at the proper balance. It is hard to keep it perfect. also the age of the hen is a factor. Average takes a few hours.Its like a watched pot never boils. A watched egg takes forever to hatch.

-- Corky Wolf (corkywolf@hotmail.net), February 04, 2002.

Hello Elizabeth, About three weeks.

Sincerely, Ernest

-- http://communities.msn.com/livingoffthelandintheozarks (espresso42@hotmail.com), February 04, 2002.

Check your incubator daily if not four times since I turn mine by hand. Keep the temp at 99.9, the humidity evenly distributed & the temp of the room even. These all play factors in the hatch. Bantams take approx. 15 to 18 days depending upon the size of the egg. Large chickens take 18 to 21 days. The factors above will vary the days.You will hear the chick peeping 3 days as it readies itself to break the shell. ON the 3rd day you will see a tiny peep hole. Let the chick do the work. If not out in 12 to 24 hours I help it a little. Susan

-- Susan Dunn (sld5825@comteck.com), February 04, 2002.

Once a chick pips the shell, it is normally out within 24 hours. If not, it's weak. Be sure NOT to open the incubator while chicks are pipping, as that releases all the critical humidity and can cause the chicks to get stuck in the shell and not be able to break out. This is the most critical time during the incubation process.

We have plenty more information on incubation and hatching chicks on our website: http://www.poultryhelp.com/link-incbrood.html

Good luck, Pete http://www.poultryhelp.com Striving to be the Web's Best Source for Online Poultry Raising Information. Thousands of University Poultry Documents.

-- Pete Theer (webmaster@poultryhelp.com), February 05, 2002.