Silkie eggs have hatched

A few days before they hatch, the chick pips internally - pecks through the internal membrane in to the air cell in the egg. This one is about 8 days of incubation and the air cell (bright bit at the top) is still quite small, by the time the egg hatches it will be 1/3 of the egg approx.

The chick then spends some time absorbing remaining fluid from the egg white before externally pipping (pecking through the shell). It then rests some more during which time it absorbs the yolk, which will sustain it for first few days of life until it learns to eat and drink.

At this point (since before the internal pip) it is positioned with its head under its wing, it straightens out and ‘unzips’ by pecking round the shell. All this pecking is done with a special egg tooth.

When it is free it dries out and fluffs up to something you wouldn’t believe had fitted in the egg only moments ago! 

The whole process from internal pip takes around 3 days. Amazing!