candling/hatching question

[nchls school]

OMG! I candled my 3rd egg and it was so stinking cool!!! It was a drastic difference from the last time I candled! I saw the duckling moving around (it looks like its doubled in size) and was even able to make out the beak & head!!! EEEKKK!! I'M so excited! LOL!!

Sounds pretty cool. What do you use to candle with? I've been using a small flashlight for years which definitely does not show much detail.

 

[tbevans]

I use a $1.00 small led flashlight from walmart. Lol It works good and is pretty bright.

 

[WVduckchick]

OMG! I candled my 3rd egg and it was so stinking cool!!! It was a drastic difference from the last time I candled! I saw the duckling moving around (it looks like its doubled in size) and was even able to make out the beak & head!!! EEEKKK!! I'M so excited! LOL!!

Excellent. Isn't it the coolest thing? Hook, line.... sinker! You are addicted now.

 

[tbevans]

Excellent.  Isn't it the coolest thing?  Hook, line.... sinker!  You are addicted now. 

Oh yes!! I'm so ready for hatch time I can hardly stand it! Come on weekend!!

 

[nchls school]

I use a $1.00 small led flashlight from walmart. Lol It works good and is pretty bright.

Thanks. Its bound to be better than the little flashlight I'm using now.

Good luck with the egg.

 

[nchls school]

Oh yes!!

I'm so ready for hatch time I can hardly stand it! Come on weekend!!

Hatch time takes patience-impatience can lead to disaster. All to often I've read posts where impatience has led people to believe they had to "help" the egg hatch only to have that new life die.

 

[tbevans]

Oh my!! That's sad! I wouldn't even know where to start to try to help. I don't plan on doing anything after lockdown until after day 28. I hope it doesn't come down to that cause I wouldn't know what in the world to do! Friday will be day 25 and I will raise the humidity and won't open it back up until it hatches or possibly on Monday which will be day 28 if need be. Its looking like I'll only have 1 hatch. I'm pretty positive the other 2 have died, but I'm leaving them in there just incase since they don't have a smell yet. If they start smelling before lockdown I'll take them out.

 

[Orca5094]

I wish you luck with your hatch! And just remember that 28 days is just a ballpark. Some take a little less, some take a little more. In my last batch, my last duckling hatched on Day 31 (these were Cayuga/Rouen crosses)! Totally normal duckling and is now almost 6 months old. They were all put in at the exact same time, so I'm not sure what happened with her. I was sure she would never hatch because she was behind all the others through the entire incubation, then at time for lock-down I wasn't able to check her any more since the others started to pip. I never once saw her egg rock or wiggle like the others, so I figured she had died. Imagine my surprise to see a little pip hole in her shell when I went to take out the last of the other ducklings who was finally dry. She was late, but she came out just fine on her own.

 

[tbevans]

I do need a little advice....can anyone tell if the air cell looks like its the right size??

 

[tbevans]

I wish you luck with your hatch! And just remember that 28 days is just a ballpark. Some take a little less, some take a little more. In my last batch, my last duckling hatched on Day 31 (these were Cayuga/Rouen crosses)! Totally normal duckling and is now almost 6 months old. They were all put in at the exact same time, so I'm not sure what happened with her. I was sure she would never hatch because she was behind all the others through the entire incubation, then at time for lock-down I wasn't able to check her any more since the others started to pip. I never once saw her egg rock or wiggle like the others, so I figured she had died. Imagine my surprise to see a little pip hole in her shell when I went to take out the last of the other ducklings who was finally dry. She was late, but she came out just fine on her own.

Thanks! Oh wow!! Nature is sure amazing!!