I have one egg in an incubator. My kids picked it up off the side of the river and we are assuming it's a mallard. There doesn't seem to be much duck variety at our little bitty river here in southern New Mexico. We put it in a borrowed incubator, and today is day 29. I've read online that mallards are supposed to hatch in about 26 days. We have been on lockdown since last Wednesday, expecting it to hatch on Friday, but it didn't. So tonight we took it out of the incubator and I can feel and hear it moving in the egg. No peeping noises, but tapping noises. It's back in the incubator now.
At this point, what do we do? I don't want it to get tired and die in there, because it is obviously still alive at this point. But I don't want to help it and kill it. I know a lot of people say don't help at all, but I have successfully helped many chicks who were struggling to get out of their eggs. So I'm not necessarily too anxious to just wait.
I want opinions and advice. I've never had an incubator before, just mama hens...
TIA!
Jossie
At this point, what do we do? I don't want it to get tired and die in there, because it is obviously still alive at this point. But I don't want to help it and kill it. I know a lot of people say don't help at all, but I have successfully helped many chicks who were struggling to get out of their eggs. So I'm not necessarily too anxious to just wait.
I want opinions and advice. I've never had an incubator before, just mama hens...
TIA!
Jossie