against all odds

[tommijo]

Well thirty five day ago I started asking questions about incubators and hatching wild woodduck eggs. I did all I could to help the eggs with a little giant bator, turner, fan and the whole deal. After having temperatures spike to 108 and drop below 90 I was a bit concerned. I candled on day 25 stopped turning and waited. The candling never showed anything but a solid mass. I could not keep the humidity up with out it spilling out the holes at the bottom. I left on the 3rd of July, day 30 and did not have much hope. Returned on the 5th to find a picked out egg with a dead duckling in it. Two hours later the other eggs started hatching. I did the no no and picked them up and picked open to get air in. I broke open the first one and removed it from the shell and watched the rest. Another broke open over night and the rest stayed in their shells with their little beak moving around. I went to this site about moving the two out of the bator to a brooder. I read some other post about letting nature take its course. and left them alone. After waiting another 4 hrs, with no hatching I went for broke and saw the membrane was dry and preventing them from hatching. I soaked the eggs with a warm wet towel and put drops of water in the shells. I removed more shell to let them break out and let them dry. Today five are swimming and doing fine eating and drinking. Thanks BYC for all the different post to help a lucky new egg.

 

[lowcountrypoultry]

Thats a very good story.

Congrats on the new additions!

 

[mamaboyd]

Wonderful story...I love happy endings!!

Good job and congrats on your new additions to your family!

 

[ezbird]

Great story and yes BYC is great too.

 

[tommijo]

Thank for the replies. For the whole day they did not eat or drink, maybe they were worn out from hatching and trying to jump out of the brooder like they would be trying to get out of a tree nest or a nesting box like in the wild. I let them get in some water late yesterday which is what they would have done when they came out of the nest in the wild. They dried off in the brooder and in 20 min. started eating and drinking resting and doing it again. I believe they needed that water experience to let their bodies know they were out of the nest and time to start living. I will keep them in my lake pen until they can fly and just hope they stay around when I let them out.

 

[Three Cedars Silkies]

Cool...what a great story.

There seems to be a dichotomy between how fragile eggs are...yet also how resilient some of them are!!

 

[penelope77]

oh how neat. you give me hope since my bator got to 108 and 105 yesterday and i didn't realize. it's funny how differently everyone does things yet most everyone ends up with at least something that hatches.