ducknovice
In the Brooder
- Mar 20, 2017
- 18
- 4
- 17
Hello,
I am currently trying to hatch out my first set of eggs (with the help of my 4 and 7 year old who are heavily emotionally invested) to start our own little flock for our smallholding. I brooded ducks from day olds earlier this year but this is my first experience with incubating any eggs.
We started with 6 eggs, removed two after candling at day 7 and today is day 21. When I candled at day 18 before lock down I thought the air sacks looked small and couldn't see as much movement as before in chicks. There has been absolutely no rocking at all. We had a camera set up so have been able to check.
At 4am today, after some insomniac googling I decided that no rocking at all at this stage was bad (even if they were going to hatch late) and couldn't bear it any longer so decided to candle them. Egg sacks not big enough and no movement at all despite tapping them and candling 3 times each. Put them back in and told kids in morning I thought they hadn't made it but we'd candle them again together. Did them again twice, we each tapped and no movement, still veining, biggest air sack about a quarter of the egg. We all sadly agreed they had gone and decided to abandon excitedly watching four dead eggs and turn incubator off as it was so depressing.
I then, when children were out just now, decided to open one and see how far they had developed and, yes, you've guessed, it chick was very developed and still alive, though not for long as it clearly wasn't ready to hatch as lots of yolk still to be absorbed.
I feel absolutely awful about killing this chick through my incompetence. I have put the other three back in and got the incubator warm again. They were out of it for about an hour.
Does anyone think they might still hatch?
I've added a picture of the little one who I evicted too early. From looking at pictures it looks more like day 18 to me? Any thoughts on whether these ones might hatch in 2/3 days? The incubator is not the best (a borrowed one) and the temperature did sometimes fall on the lower side (only by .5 degree celcius) so wondering if they've just developed slowly?
Also wondering why they weren't moving in multiple candlings despite the one I opened definitely being alive (it moved, opened its beak etc)?
Thanks so much. Very guilty chick killer.
I am currently trying to hatch out my first set of eggs (with the help of my 4 and 7 year old who are heavily emotionally invested) to start our own little flock for our smallholding. I brooded ducks from day olds earlier this year but this is my first experience with incubating any eggs.
We started with 6 eggs, removed two after candling at day 7 and today is day 21. When I candled at day 18 before lock down I thought the air sacks looked small and couldn't see as much movement as before in chicks. There has been absolutely no rocking at all. We had a camera set up so have been able to check.
At 4am today, after some insomniac googling I decided that no rocking at all at this stage was bad (even if they were going to hatch late) and couldn't bear it any longer so decided to candle them. Egg sacks not big enough and no movement at all despite tapping them and candling 3 times each. Put them back in and told kids in morning I thought they hadn't made it but we'd candle them again together. Did them again twice, we each tapped and no movement, still veining, biggest air sack about a quarter of the egg. We all sadly agreed they had gone and decided to abandon excitedly watching four dead eggs and turn incubator off as it was so depressing.
I then, when children were out just now, decided to open one and see how far they had developed and, yes, you've guessed, it chick was very developed and still alive, though not for long as it clearly wasn't ready to hatch as lots of yolk still to be absorbed.
I feel absolutely awful about killing this chick through my incompetence. I have put the other three back in and got the incubator warm again. They were out of it for about an hour.
Does anyone think they might still hatch?
I've added a picture of the little one who I evicted too early. From looking at pictures it looks more like day 18 to me? Any thoughts on whether these ones might hatch in 2/3 days? The incubator is not the best (a borrowed one) and the temperature did sometimes fall on the lower side (only by .5 degree celcius) so wondering if they've just developed slowly?
Also wondering why they weren't moving in multiple candlings despite the one I opened definitely being alive (it moved, opened its beak etc)?
Thanks so much. Very guilty chick killer.