3rd attempt at hatching ducks.....need more help....

[amynbrent]

This is my third and final attempt at hatching Pekin's. Each time I got a couple but I had to help them out. Six pipped between early morning yesterday through the evening. Some just a pip and some made a little more progress. I was determined to let them hatch out by themselves this time (if I didnt help the other two times they would all have died) they were chirping away and rocking and rolling but this morning their sounds are weak. Before each pip the humidity would sky rocket, then drop to about 65-70% and nothing I can do will bring it up. The other two times the ducks were very dry so I had to hatch each one holding them in a wet towel, it was so pitiful! What else can I do? Can I soak some paper towels and lay it over the eggs? It wont be to heavy for the to hatch, I will check every 10-15 mins to make sure their not caught up in the paper towel and suffocating. I just dont want to lose these little ones, it would be a horrible death and horrible knowing they were just living trying to get out.

Thanks!

 

[70%cocoa]

The most important thing during the last three days is to keep the lid on and keep the humidity up - 65 to 70% is fine. It's normal for humidity to spike when pipping happens. It's really important to keep that lid on - the sudden drop in humidity when it opens will dry them out, especially if they have pipped. It can take 24 hours from the first external pip to the next attempt on the shell. Have any of your guys pipped the shell yet (as opposed to the inner membrane) and how many hours ago did that happen?

My fingers are all crossed for you!!

 

[amynbrent]

Five are a pip with a raised shell, a couple have like two pips...I guess where it will turn into a zip. One the shell is off and the membrane exposed with a rip in the membrane where it's bill was sticking out yesterday. This was the second to pip and that was about 10 a.m. yesterday. The first one was pipped when I checked on them about 7:30 yesterday a.m. this one is still moving. The others happend thru the day. Ducks are not easy like chickens are...this is so stressful. I wont be doing it again!!

 

[CelticOaksFarm]

Ducks don't pip and zip in the same day, or if they do it's a rare hatch. As 70% said it is important for you to not open the incubator, that dries them out quickly. It takes a ton of energy from them to pip. They then rest, and turn inside the egg to prep for zipping. While from the outside it looks like nothing is happening. During this time they are also absorbing the yolk.

 

[amynbrent]

Thanks so much. I havent opened the lid. I'm just so nervous because of my last two attempts. I let them be and on day 32 nothing happened after the pip and partial zip, one bad egg sort of exploded so I had to get the other ones out because I could still hear them chirping very weak. They were so dry, the membrane was crusted to them, I had to hatch them in a wet towel and soften them up and pry their little legs down...it was the worse hatching experience I have ever dealt with. Luckily they all survived!

 

[70%cocoa]

Duck hatching can be stressful - they are trickier than chickens for sure. It can take quite a few tries of hatching to get incubator conditions right.

How many hours since the first pips (if you can count the hours that'd be great) and any progress since then?

Good work on not opening the incubator

 

[amynbrent]

It has been a full 24 hours since the first two pipped. One of the two havent made any progress...this one has a tear in the membrane and if I shine a flashlight on it just right I see little yellow feathers shift away from the hole but the egg itself isnt moving anymore. The other one is starting to zip. The other four will be 24 hours about 9 p.m. those are progressing...not quite a zip like a chicken egg but several more pip bumps with a zip line connecting them. They are moving and tweeting away.

 

[70%cocoa]

Sounds fine so far. Sit tight!

 

[amynbrent]

Ok, it's been 48 hours for some of my eggs. No more progress. They seem much quieter and some dont seem to make any noise. Humidity still good. Leave them or help them? I dont want to help them but nothing I have read says 48 hours and if they die it will hurt knowing I could have helped them. Thanks!

 

[amynbrent]

Ok, another update. I left my bright flashlight on by mistake on top of the incubator this morning when I checked on them. I just went back up there and they are hatching!! I wonder if it was to dark and they thought it was sleep time and the bright light helped them realize to wake up and come out? Either way they are all hatching.....yeah!!!!