Call Duck Eggs

[shawluvsbirds]

Hi I do have pictures but for some reason I can not get them to upload to my computer. I'm just sorta sick over all of this, I feel like my alack of knowledge may have killed them. I just do not understand things looked great going into lockdown then nothing.

Most of the ones I've lost have been right at hatch. And that's even under broody mamas. So it's not always incubation error.
Are you going to candle again today and see what's going on?

 

[Kiki]

Don't be so hard on yourself.

 

[Table4Six]

I am so sorry you are having this trouble with your eggs. I know how it feels. Last year, I had well over twenty call duck eggs under broody hens. Straight forward fact: call ducks are extremely challenging to hatch. It is not your fault at all I had multiple eggs just quit along the way, and by the time lock down came, I was left with one egg. I waited, candled, looked for a pip. Nothing. I believe it was around day thirty when I took action. The duckling was miraculously alive, but the entire hatching process had to be carefully completed by me. Becuase call ducks have such short bills, it is harder for them to pip. And this poor baby was exhausted from trying. For a while, I wasn’t sure it was going to make it, but after resting for a full forty-eight hours, things began to progress, and Willow is now a beautiful little call duck hen. Good luck!

 

[WVduckchick]

Sharing so you know it may not have been anything you did or didn’t do — I also lost an entire batch of 22 call eggs two weeks ago, and I’ve hatched calls many times. Several weren’t fertile, some of the eggs were from girls that just started laying, some had been outside under a broody for several days. 8 made it to day 23. Two internally pipped on day 24, but died before I made safe holes. 2 internally pipped and I began the tedious assists. One died after a whole day of assisting, and still had massive yolk. One survived a long assist, but then died a day or two later. She just never got going.

I set another 14 two weeks later and 10 have made lockdown. Day 24 today!!

So yes, that’s why we call it the Call Duck Challenge. But they are sooooo worth the effort! I also have a girl on eggs, due sometime next week.

This is the one that lived for a couple of days

 

[Table4Six]

Sharing so you know it may not have been anything you did or didn’t do — I also lost an entire batch of 22 call eggs two weeks ago, and I’ve hatched calls many times. Several weren’t fertile, some of the eggs were from girls that just started laying, some had been outside under a broody for several days. 8 made it to day 23. Two internally pipped on day 24, but died before I made safe holes. 2 internally pipped and I began the tedious assists. One died after a whole day of assisting, and still had massive yolk. One survived a long assist, but then died a day or two later. She just never got going.

I set another 14 two weeks later and 10 have made lockdown. Day 24 today!!

So yes, that’s why we call it the Call Duck Challenge. But they are sooooo worth the effort! I also have a girl on eggs, due sometime next week.
View attachment 1665123
This is the one that lived for a couple of days
View attachment 1665124

It’s so sad when they don’t make it. I have three call duck x black east indies eggs due to hatch in about another two weeks or so, hoping it goes well.

 

[feathermaid]

Hi I do have pictures but for some reason I can not get them to upload to my computer. I'm just sorta sick over all of this, I feel like my alack of knowledge may have killed them. I just do not understand things looked great going into lockdown then nothing.

Are your pics on your phone? Can you email them to yourself? I have done that before and when I open the email message, it gives me the option to download it. Or you can just copy/paste the image directly from your email into your post here.

Please don't beat yourself up... even all these very experienced people have had their share of troubles with hatching, it just comes with the territory. Best wishes!

 

[Chloe374]

Let me try that with the pictures. However, just an update all the little call ducks were dead inside the eggs. I took the last one today to a vet as they could only see me today. He put a little hole in the egg the duckling was alive and was even peeping. Since they were so overdue he felt it best to get it out of the egg. Today was day 33-34. What was strange is the yolk sac was still very big almost looked like it had two pieces to it. I'm going to try my hardest to post that pic. We put warm wet sterile gauze on it and back into the incubator. Sadly that one died too. I just do not get it. I wish I knew what happened to them. I am no farmer or anything but I thought I was meticulous in the incubation process. Any thoughts would be great.

 

[Chloe374]

Are your pics on your phone? Can you email them to yourself? I have done that before and when I open the email message, it gives me the option to download it. Or you can just copy/paste the image directly from your email into your post here.

Please don't beat yourself up... even all these very experienced people have had their share of troubles with hatching, it just comes with the territory. Best wishes!

Thank you for the help and the kind words. I was able to at least post one pic.

 

[Chloe374]

Thank you for the help and the kind words. I was able to at least post one pic.

I hope you can see the picture and maybe you know what went wrong. The next time if they do not hatch should I make an air hole. Maybe the one would have lived if we left the shell on the bottom but...

 

[Chloe374]

It’s so sad when they don’t make it. I have three call duck x black east indies eggs due to hatch in about another two weeks or so, hoping it goes well.

This was day 33-34 have you even seen such a thing. It was alive and peeping. Oh I feel horrid.