Advice please - runner duck eggs pipping on day 19

[ejctm]

thanks everyone for the good wishes and good advice.

It was another hot day here in the UK, and no sign of anything progressing with the eggs. I checked the cracks and they are still the same. I think I am probably checking too often (once a day) and trying not to be obsessed! I read somewhere about "internal pipping"? Is this when the membrane is broken but not the shell? I think my eggs are the other way round, i.e. shell cracked (not all the way through though) and membrane still intact. I just don't know.

Anyway, today is day 23, so only another 5 days to go!

Bene, our broody hen, is still being fantastic. She had a weird moment today though, when she made really loud warning clucks repeatedly, for no apparent reason. We all went running to look at what she felt threatened by and...nothing! Her sisters were just outside the broody hutch we have her in, and they all froze and stared at the sky when she gave the sound - it was quite funny. Bene couldn't even see the sky from inside her hutch, so we don't know how she could have seen something overhead.

Could she be in this "lockdown" thing (I don't know what that is, but people keep mentioning it), or is this just incubators?? sorry for the ignorance.

 

[mrslb333]

Hiya I'm thinking we might not have had the same ebay seller as I came down this morning to find my Cayuga egg hatched! Not due till wednesday poor little thing hasn't absorbed the yolk yet so have wrapped it in wet cloth to see if it helps, not too hopeful though

It must be down to the change in temperature outside or something?

 

[ejctm]

Let us know how the little one gets on Mrs lb. Fingers crossed all will be fine.

 

[mrslb333]

Well little Crispy finally absorbed the yolk this morning and is looking 100% better than he was

Also this morning I woke up to find the other 2 have hatched

Soo incredibly cute!
Hope all is well with yours any progress yet?

 

[ejctm]

They are just adorable Mrs lb, I just want to squeeze them, but not in a bad way!

No progress yesterday with mine, BUT...... today is day 25 and 2 eggs are tapping!!! One tapping egg is one of those with the cracked shell, and one has shell intact, and is the only one with a pronouncedly green shell. I wonder if this means the baby will be dark?

The other 4 eggs are still quiet, but I shall be checking on them again in the morning. Misted them all this evening - we are in an English heatwave! Bene's not too keen on a wet nest, and tries to scooch them onto a dry bit, but that is because she is a chicken! She is getting extra mealworm treats every day!

Spent the weekend building our skippy natural biological pond filter to go with the large plastic pond I bought on ebay. I say it myself, but we did an excellent job making the filter, thanks to the great instructions from Skippy's. Can't wait to get it up and running, once we have bought a pump. Hope it all works!

 

[ejctm]

Update on day 26

I have now labelled the eggs and can track their progress better.

Egg 1 - moving and tapping!
Egg 2 - no movement or taps, dark inside the shell and light coloured air sac at the big end can be seen
Egg 3 - dark colour through the shell, something rattles when I shake it gently - might be sloshing? I think this is the bad one.
Egg 4 - this is the smaller green egg, audible tapping
Egg 5 - this is one of the eggs which was cracked/slightly-pipped on day 19 - now moving, tapping and PEEPING!!!
Egg 6 - the other cracked one - now tapping and moving!

In case nobody can tell - I am very egg-cited

lol.

It looks like I have at least 4 viable babies to come in the next day or so - fingers crossed.

Shame I have to work the rest of this week as I could gladly spend the time just watching the nest - not big on patience, me!

I'll update again tomorrow, when hopefully I will have some more news.

 

[mrslb333]

It is such an exciting time and runner ducklings are soo cute

Hopefully you will have a surprise in the morning doesn't sound like it'll be too long now

 

[ejctm]

Thanks Mrs lb. If you are ever down south in Hertfordshire, you should pop in for a cuppa tea and we can swap duck stories!

 

[teresa-78]

Oh my how exciting... Im really pleased for you, congrats.... im just as equally excited now as my chicken has decided to go broody, so she
is now sitting on 4 eggs, oh I cant wait, 21 days to go and counting lol.

 

[mrslb333]

Ty same to you if you're ever in nottinghamshire

Any little ducky's yet?