day 29 duck egg

[jecca657]

So we are on day 29 of our duck egg and I'm worried. No external pip and i can't see any cracks. the bird is still alive and the egg rocks when you tap on the tablle all has been well but we have been struggling to keep the humidity high enough so i have added a warm wet wash cloth and misted the egg once barely opening the incubator to do so. we are using https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B073XD9GZ1/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
thanks

 

[casportpony]

Welcome to BYC! I'm going to message some of my hatching friends and ask them to come read this.

 

[Pyxis]

How high have you been keeping the humidity throughout the incubation? Have you been tracking the air cell growth to make sure it's growing properly? What temperature have you been using? And, have you been using calibrated hygrometers and thermometers to track these two things, or were you just trusting what the display on the incubator said?

 

[jecca657]

he have been using a hydrometer and it had been at 60% and using the temp meter on the incubator at 37.5.
thanks for looking

 

[Pyxis]

I would get another thermometer immediately and double check the temp, since the built in displays on the cheaper incubators like this one tend to not be very accurate. Also, does the incubator have a fan in it to circulate the air?

Has the humidity been at 60% for the entire incubation, or only just now as you've entered lockdown? 60% the entire time is much too high and the air cells most likely wouldn't have been able to lose enough moisture to develop properly. Can you candle the egg and post a picture of it while candling so we can see the air cell? Or candle, trace the air cell out on the shell, and post a picture of that?

 

[jecca657]

is it safe to take it out and candle it?

 

[Pyxis]

Yes, it's safe.

 

[jecca657]

We just candled the eggs and there is definitely a decent sized air space. from what i've seen online its the average/correct size.

 

[Pyxis]

That's a good sign. Have you been able to double check the temperature and see if the incubator has a fan?

 

[jecca657]

these may be partly Muscovy eggs, i think those take a little longer? should we just sit tight and keep the humidity up?