Call Duck Hatching Eggs - Potential Ruptured Air Sacs

[Doobly]

Hi everyone, looking for a little bit of reassurance here! I've incubated before but I'm dealing with something new here - ordered some call duck eggs online. They arrived perfectly, in a polystyrene box, tightly packed, fragile tape all around it. Just what I'd expect, really.

So perhaps naively we didn't candle them before setting. I've candled them this morning on day 3 and no real signs of development (some look like potential babes, some look yolky) but one had a nasty dark blood ring so I took it out and that's made me thankful I did check.

Anyway, I realised I was looking at free-roaming air beneath the shells, and no real sign of air sacs on some of them. We did let them rest for 24 hours before setting.

So after a little research I've set them all in little silicone rings bottom-end up, as that seems to be the general consensus online and (I understand?!) helps the duckling grow ready to pip into the sac? (Or lack of?)

Unfortunately they'd been on their sides the last three days with myself turning them anti-clockwise then clockwise three times a day - something I now understand is not advised with ruptured air sacs.

I looked at some of the other eggs (four we didn't set) and two have a series of bubbles under the surface so I'm pretty sure they're nearly all ruptured.

Have I done the right thing? Any tips, techniques and positive experiences to cheer me up?

 

[Doobly]

@Ravynscroft I've noticed you're rather a duck guru! Hope you don't mind the tag, I'd like to stop staring so anxiously at the incubator

 

[Ravynscroft]

Many do say to put them air cell up for a few days, and I know at least one member that had good results with that in shipped Call eggs, just tilting them side to side a bit instead of turning... however, personally, I have always laid my shipped Call eggs on their sides no matter what... gotten a couple bad hatches, but sbipped and Calls will do that, and have gotten higher % of great hatches that way... but if this is what you feel is right, don't let me dissuade you...

What is your humidity at? I heard from my friend that a bit higher humidity than I run, which is very low, helps reattach air cells (if they can reattach, some just never will)...

Also, can you set the other 2 eggs now that had ok air cells? They'll just hatch a couple days later, not a big deal with Calls...

 

[Doobly]

Many do say to put them air cell up for a few days, and I know at least one member that had good results with that in shipped Call eggs, just tilting them side to side a bit instead of turning... however, personally, I have always laid my shipped Call eggs on their sides no matter what... gotten a couple bad hatches, but sbipped and Calls will do that, and have gotten higher % of great hatches that way... but if this is what you feel is right, don't let me dissuade you...

What is your humidity at? I heard from my friend that a bit higher humidity than I run, which is very low, helps reattach air cells (if they can reattach, some just never will)...

Also, can you set the other 2 eggs now that had ok air cells? They'll just hatch a couple days later, not a big deal with Calls...

Thanks for getting back to me Ravyn I'm really torn on what to do now! I'm fighting the urge to candle until at least day 7 now but once I've seen some little veiny blobs I'll be happy! How many shipped Call eggs have you hatched? This is my second call, and first shipped egg hatch! First call hatch I ever did was with the tiny R-Com 3 egg incubator, one was infertile and one died in it's shell just as the third pipped (and became a healthy adult!), I'll never forget opening the shell just to check they hadn't made it, it's not a sight I want to see again! Just a perfect little yellow baby; like it was sleeping with it's eyes open. And the fear of pipping ducklings not finding the air sac is playing on my mind!

I've got a humidity tester on the way (it was meant to be here already before the eggs arrived but I've phoned the seller and it should be arriving tomorrow!) but when myself and my ex hatched come campbells (with a brilliant %) we used the same incubator and didn't moderate the humidity minus some spraying during pipping (which I realise now isn't common practice). But honestly I don't see them reattaching, it's just a mess, I'm so disappointed, but hopefully it sounds like it could still work out?

Sorry, my bad, all the other eggs also had ruptured sacs, two seemed to be singular bubbles, two seemed to be a whole foam of them! I swapped out the dead egg for a fresh one, but I still have four remaining. As much as I'd love to have a decent size hatch this year, I'm half tempted to see what happens and try again with some different call eggs next year.

 

[Doobly]

Many do say to put them air cell up for a few days, and I know at least one member that had good results with that in shipped Call eggs, just tilting them side to side a bit instead of turning... however, personally, I have always laid my shipped Call eggs on their sides no matter what... gotten a couple bad hatches, but sbipped and Calls will do that, and have gotten higher % of great hatches that way... but if this is what you feel is right, don't let me dissuade you...

Just to add, this morning I decided to lay the eggs slightly flat again, as I can see something disastrous happening trying to keep them bottom-up. As we now have little silicone rings for them, I've laid them flat but put the large end slightly elevated, so hopefully a happy medium?

 

[Ravynscroft]

Just to add, this morning I decided to lay the eggs slightly flat again, as I can see something disastrous happening trying to keep them bottom-up. As we now have little silicone rings for them, I've laid them flat but put the large end slightly elevated, so hopefully a happy medium?

Sounds good to me!

 

[Doobly]

Sounds good to me!

Thank you!

 

[Devadee]

Just to add, this morning I decided to lay the eggs slightly flat again, as I can see something disastrous happening trying to keep them bottom-up. As we now have little silicone rings for them, I've laid them flat but put the large end slightly elevated, so hopefully a happy medium?

Just curious to find out what the outcome was for you? I know it's late in the year but I've just had 6 call duck eggs shipped to me. All wrapped up in tissue, in polystyrene eggs box, with bubble wrap and fragile tape... all 6 have ruptured air cells I've got them fat side up to settle for 24 hours but I'm wondering if it's even worth bothering. I've had plenty of indian runner eggs shipped in the same way and none had ruptured air cells. Not sure what to do really