Pip Watch

Are those Pip's we are seeing in the egg?

Could that be a speck of shag from the carpet?

Today is day 27 for the first egg so it very well could be the first signs of a hatch coming very soon.
We are on Pip Watch!!

Be sure to join us as we watch and wait our first hatch for Mel and Syd's Clutch 3.

Ever wonder what is happening inside those eggs?

Once the egg’s air sac is in draw down, the chick’s lungs begin to function at an increased capacity. At this point, the chorioallantois membranes (CAM) begin to reduce their blood flow. Once the membranes have shut down, the chick can safely break the membrane and begin pipping the shell.

Chicks (and all birds) have what is known as an egg tooth that is formed on the top of their beaks.

The egg tooth is what allows them to crack the egg shell from the inside out. This happens when the chick becomes too large to absorb oxygen through the pores of its eggshell, so they begin using their egg tooth to get out of the shell.

Chicks also have a pipping muscle on the back of their necks. It's this muscle that provides the necessary strength to force the egg tooth through the inner membrane of the eggshell.

The first break through the egg is called a pip, or the process of pipping. The yolk of the egg is absorbed into the baby's stomach at this point, which gives it the energy it needs to hatch.

The time length for a chick to do this can be as long as 24 to 48 hours.
The egg tooth then falls off of their beaks several days after hatching.