Zip
Chirping
- Back Story -
I have 2 female (not tame) ducks that started setting on some eggs about a week apart, the ducks are only a year old themselves so this is their first hatch. On the first ducks hatch date when I was checking on them I noticed the ducks had put both clutches of eggs in one nest and started setting on them together (a recipe for disaster, I know.) It's been about 3 days and 2 ducklings have hatched so far, but this morning when I went out to check on them I noticed the ducks had moved the nest yet again, leaving 3 eggs behind (2 of which started hatching) so I brought them in and placed them in the incubator with some chicken eggs.
The first egg has a large pip in it, but the membrane was extremely dry to I dampened it with a q-tip and placed it on a wet paper towel in the incubator. The duckling inside seems pretty desperate to get out, chirping and stretching its head up, but hasn't seemed to zip yet. The entire top of the egg is also missing it's outer shell. I'm not sure if I should intervene or not? He seems pretty active but even though he is moving and stretching a lot, there doesn't seem to be much progress. I noticed this egg starting to pip last night before the females moved their nest so he's been pipped for over 12 hours.
The second egg also seems to have pipped and zipped. It too is missing it's outer shell along the entire top of the egg. I looked through the eggs zip and still see a lot of veins so I don't think he was quite ready to hatch (maybe the crack is damage rather than a zip?) I can see his beak but no movement or noise. No blood and all the veins seem to be still intact. Could he still be alive in there?
the third egg is completely intact.
Any suggestions on what I can do for the first two? Should I leave them be or should I intervene? I've helped chicks hatch before but I haven't dealt with a situation quite like this before.
I have 2 female (not tame) ducks that started setting on some eggs about a week apart, the ducks are only a year old themselves so this is their first hatch. On the first ducks hatch date when I was checking on them I noticed the ducks had put both clutches of eggs in one nest and started setting on them together (a recipe for disaster, I know.) It's been about 3 days and 2 ducklings have hatched so far, but this morning when I went out to check on them I noticed the ducks had moved the nest yet again, leaving 3 eggs behind (2 of which started hatching) so I brought them in and placed them in the incubator with some chicken eggs.
The first egg has a large pip in it, but the membrane was extremely dry to I dampened it with a q-tip and placed it on a wet paper towel in the incubator. The duckling inside seems pretty desperate to get out, chirping and stretching its head up, but hasn't seemed to zip yet. The entire top of the egg is also missing it's outer shell. I'm not sure if I should intervene or not? He seems pretty active but even though he is moving and stretching a lot, there doesn't seem to be much progress. I noticed this egg starting to pip last night before the females moved their nest so he's been pipped for over 12 hours.
The second egg also seems to have pipped and zipped. It too is missing it's outer shell along the entire top of the egg. I looked through the eggs zip and still see a lot of veins so I don't think he was quite ready to hatch (maybe the crack is damage rather than a zip?) I can see his beak but no movement or noise. No blood and all the veins seem to be still intact. Could he still be alive in there?
the third egg is completely intact.
Any suggestions on what I can do for the first two? Should I leave them be or should I intervene? I've helped chicks hatch before but I haven't dealt with a situation quite like this before.
