Bob H, thanks for posting this, a great question on apprently well known but rarely written data. I had a D.couperi clutch go roughly 76 hrs. from #1 to #10, and I was really getting worried, I slit the last two eggs on advice of a well respected breeder "mentor"... Apparently it is not unusual for clutches to vary on emergence, and many of us probably react too soon... However, one hears horror stories of dead in the egg full term, "if only I had opened them". Maybe someone who has hatched dozens of dry clutches can comment on the spread between first pip and last, what is "normal"? I know some guys who slit every egg 24 hrs. after the first pip, but I think that may not be necessary. I just don't have enough stats to draw a reasonable conclusion, but others probably do. What say the experienced breeders with dozens of clutches over the years? Vic H.

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