Chicken or Duck?

[Pyxis]

In the article it says now is a good time to open up the air cell. In fact, it may be a little past that time, maybe about 20 hrs since I made the safety hole. What would you guys do? Yay or nay? I'm kind of leaning towards yay but I'm not super experienced with this.

Personally I would open it up just enough so that you can see in there to verify that it's internally pipped. If it is, I would open it up and apply the coconut oil (or whatever you're using).

 

[diamondsilkies]

The photos of it aren't so great, it's really hard to see what's going on. I think I'll open it up enough to see if it's pipped, and then continue on if it is. Almost all of the veins looked absorbed in the candling.

 

[red horse ranch]

I have to follow this thread to see what happens!

By the way, I used to raise Mallard ducks (had up to 60 of them at one time) and I never once had any fly away. They do need to be able to fly to get away from predators so I never clipped wings.

Sure hope your baby hatches!

 

[shawluvsbirds]

Personally I would open it up just enough so that you can see in there to verify that it's internally pipped. If it is, I would open it up and apply the coconut oil (or whatever you're using).

×2
I just didn't wanna be the one to say it

 

[chickens really]

Oh don't open it ....What is happening ?

 

[chickens really]

Bleeding if veins are not off will happen and it could bleed to death...

 

[chickens really]

Assistance before external pip is a disaster and usually a death sentence ...

 

[diamondsilkies]

Unfortunately I am the bearer of bad news. I followed the instructions in the article and opened up the air cell just a tiny bit to see if it had pipped. Sadly, I don't think the little guy made it. It hadn't internally pipped, which was strange because I was sure I thought I heard it chirping, and it looked pipped last night when I candled. I also didn't see any motion. I gently poked the chick with the Q-tip and it had no response. I couldn't tell if it was a duck or silkie, but I think duck. It had yellow feathers, darker yellow than my white silkies, and the skin was not very black. I know I originally planned on opening it up to see what had gone wrong, but now that the time has come I'm a little squeamish about it. I've never been very good at those things, and have done it in the past, but I don't think I can stomach it today. I might tomorrow morning when it is light outside, so I can do it outdoors. From what I can see now, it seems that it made it pretty far, with almost all of the veins absorbed. We'll see tomorrow what it actually turned out to be.

However, this little journey has inspired me to maybe get a pair of female call ducks sometime in the spring or near future. I might order a half dozen call duck eggs from Ruby sometime in the future, and if I do, I will notify you all on this thread. I'd like to do a bit more research so I'm not as unprepared, and finish building my run first, so there will be more room.

Thank you to everyone who pitched in and helped along the way. It was a lot of fun talking to everyone on here, and I learned a lot more about ducks as well.

 

[Pyxis]

I am so very sorry that it did not make it and was already dead when you opened it There was nothing further you could do, it sounds like it died awhile ago.

 

[chickens really]

Poop..Tooo bad...