Internal pipping?
Every day this week we are showing you how new life develops inside an egg and ultimatley hatches in preparation for Downy Duckling Week that begins on Saturday.
Once the duckling enters the airspace it begins 'Internal pipping' and the duckling is breathing air for the first time. The duckling has a tiny egg tooth on the front of its bill that it uses to chip away at the egg. This egg tooth will fall off when the duckling is a few days old. The duckling will kicks its way around the shell using the egg tooth and forms a lid to push out of. The duckling can become very tired and it can take a lot of time to hatch.
We will have chipping eggs in a hatcher next week for Downy Duckling Week so that you can see this process right in front of you, you may even be lucky enough to see an egg hatch!
