Ancona Duck Hatch incoming!! (Maybe early?!?!?!?)

[mlsouth]

Hi everyone!! I am so super excited!!! Admittedly I'm really nervous too. I have hatched lots of chicken eggs before, but never duck. About a month ago I ordered 6 Ancona hatching eggs on ebay, because of rough shipping by the USPS three of the eggs were damaged, so I set the other three in my new Brinsea Mini Advance incubator. Well today ends day 23 of the incubation, all the candling up to this point seems to have shown perfect development, but its just so close to time that I'm getting nervous. I catch myself looking at the eggs every hour or so (even though its still 5 days till scheduled hatch) I'm driving myself crazy LOL. I candled last night and saw the ducklings kinda pushing at the air cell membrane in all three eggs. Ill post pics from earlier in the incubation. So here is my thing, they look like they might hatch early from the movement (sometimes the eggs rock around in the bator by themselves) I know my temperature was spot on the whole time (humidity too) so I'm wondering if anyone else has ever had ducklings hatch early? And if so, how early?? Ill shut up now


day 4




day 7

 

[country_girl011]

they are just practicing.
they are not going to hatch early. if they were the would already be internally pipped.
the whole hatching process can take up to 48 hours. once they get started.
just keep your humidity up and let the eggs be (no opening bator) or you will shrink wrap them.

 

[mlsouth]

Thanks country_girl011 thats reassuring. luckily my bator is clear plastic, so i can sit and stare at them. if i couldn't see inside the bator i would pull my hair out. I feel like the suspense of the next five days will kill me.

. When should i start to hear them chirp? So far only movement, no sound. Sorry I probably sound crazy.

 

[subhanalah]

If you are good at duck sounds and are familiar it what the momma duck makes to her babies, you can sometimes convince them to start chirping. I saw it on a documentary (it was about turkeys but still, it's what most birds do for their babies in the egg.)

 

[mlsouth]

Development!!! They Have internally pipped!!!! All three of them. i can hear one chirping and actually hear it taping on the side of the shell. I understand the actual hatching process can take up to 48 hours, but man is my heart racing!!!

 

[Miss Lydia]

Development!!! They Have internally pipped!!!! All three of them. i can hear one chirping and actually hear it taping on the side of the shell. I understand the actual hatching process can take up to 48 hours, but man is my heart racing!!!

Exciting news. Keep the bator closed. and yes it can take that long for them to hatch. Keep us updated.

 

[mlsouth]

i certainly will! ill post pics as soon as i have them!!!

 

[Miss Lydia]

i certainly will! ill post pics as soon as i have them!!!

 

[mlsouth]

ok so im so excited im probably going to ask some really stupid questions, but this is the first time i have hatched duck eggs. they are in fact starting the hatching process if i saw internal pips right? Because i hear chirps and hear near constant tapping on the shell of one of the eggs, and the eggs are rocking around alot.. but tomorrow morning would have marked 24 days. i wasnt planing going into lockdown until day after tomorrow. I should have locked down now right? because i did. Are they too early. or are they just gonna take their own sweet time for a few days and only be a couple of days early?

 

[GoingQuackers]

Personally I would recommend not going into lockdown until you see the first external pip. Too much humidity as they are trying to make that extra effort to crack through the shell can make them "juicy" and stress their little hearts & lungs with too much fluid. They can't get enough oxygen & they can die essentially of the same condition as congestive heart failure in humans. However, once the first one has externally pipped, go ahead & get that humidity up to 65-70% & don't open the incubator anymore.

I have never hatched anconas, but my last clutch of mallards took anywhere from 24-36 hours AFTER internal pipping to start external pipping, then another 24-36 hours for all of them to hatch. I know your excitement and your anxiety very well! Can't wait to see pics!