Incubation, day 20! LIVE HATCH CAM BEGINS

This morning, the chicks made their very first peeps, still inside their shells! Now, officially, they don't hatch until day 21, but nature doesn't always keep a reliable schedule, and three of them have begun to crack their shells this morning!  

Introducing, the live stream!

Baby chicks begin to peep while they are in their shells. The first pip that they make with their egg tooth is through the membrane separating them from the air cell, and then they draw their first breath and can peep!  It may be a while until we see the chicks, but we can begin to watch the hatching eggs today. 

It's a big, tiring job to come out. They pip in a circle, all the way around the circumference of the egg, and then push the pieces apart.  They have to be healthy enough to do it themselves- no "helping" from the humans. Wish them luck!