Are Call Ducks difficult to hatch??

[Katy]

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I don't agree that good quality calls need to be helped to hatch. For the most part mine have short bills and nice round heads. They hatch just fine for my hens. I think it has more to do with them being artifically incubated and we humans failing to to do what mama hen can do just fine.

 

[tonini3059]

How can you tell if they pip the membrane?? I had about a dozen die because I helped to late and they got all stuck to the egg and became tired. They pipped the membrane, but never reached the shell when I opened them up. This was my first hatch. So on the later ones when they stopped rocking and moving in the egg I started to put the tiny hole to see if they pipped the membrane.

 

[Katy]

Why do you need to know if they've pipped the membrane? If they haven't, they're either not ready to hatch yet or are too weak to hatch. Leaving the lid on the bator and giving them enough time to do it on their own is the best thing for them. It can take many, many hours for them to go from internal pip to a pip through the shell and then on to zipping. Just because they quit moving doesn't mean you should help. It's a very tiring job and they often times stop and rest during the process.

 

[SundownWaterfowl]

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I candle them. If I see their beak moving around up in the air sac, then I know it's through the air sac. Then if I dont see an external pip within 14-18 hours. I put in a small hole in the air sac so the ducking doesnt suffocate.

Some people are just against helping the hatch, and I guess there is no changing their minds. I do believe in helping, I know how to do it, and I have done it successfully. Other call breeders also help call ducklings hatch, some dont. It think its a personal preference.

 

[tonini3059]

Thanks for the info..I should be getting my eggs sometime this week so I will try what you tell me. I hope I get better results, before I did not really care because they were my own duck eggs I was hatching, but now since my ducks are gone and i only have a baby that I hatched left i really want to do good!

 

[SundownWaterfowl]

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Yes, the hatch date is day 26. Good Luck and let me know how it goes.

 

[tonini3059]

oh I will!! I will probably start freaking out when it gets close for them to hatch wondering if everything is ok.

 

[CindyS]

I think the key word here is "may" need help. Longshadow farms instructions throughout stress leaving them alone and help when nesessary. Some get so paranoid from what they hear that they automaticly start pecking them out of their shells. which can cause a big disaster. Helping them when they are already half zipped around the shell is a totally harmless procedure, and really does not count because the absorbtion of the yolk sack is the trigger to start the rotation around the shell.

 

[LilDucky85]

What do you do with the carton once the eggs go in? Stick it in the incubator I assume right??

 

[SundownWaterfowl]

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Yes, you do.