Diary & Notes ~ Air Cell Detatched SHIPPED Chicken Eggs for incubation and hatching

Status
Not open for further replies.
Date sort Score sort
Sally Sunshine said:
Hi stranger, come get your bator when your home lol I don't need more temptation having it around!!!!
Click to expand...

Temptation lies in everyone of us on this site
lau.gif


It just takes friends (enablers) to make the world go round .
 
I need a little bit of help! I am concerned with my duck eggs. I have 2 ducks eggs that are at 29days and 26 days of incubation. Roughly, it is 28 days of incubation when they start to pip. However, my 26 day duckling has started piping. She has broken the shell, but not the outer membrane. It has been a little while now and she is still moving (assuming yesterday while I was at work she started and rested because she is still pecking away at the shell). The only thing is, she hasn't popped the outer membrane (still white and healthy looking) and has started pecking in a different area of the shell. It is all within the air sack and I can occasionally hear her chirping. While at the moment I am not afraid for her life, I am a little concerned that it is working on 24 hours without the outer membrane being broken, no progress being made and she's not piping through in the other area that she is working. When is it safe to assist her? I read your article and I understand how and what to look for, but wither random pecking, at what point do we help-considering we don't want her to start getting too weak to help herself. My 29 day ducking has been in the air sack for 2 days not, and started really working on pipping for a day now, but she has not had any luck breaking through the shell at all, or even raising the egg where she has been pounding away.
 
Welcome to BYC
frow.gif
Ducklings can take a few days to complete a hatch from start to finish, so it's hard to judge when to intervene. I've had a duckling take 4 days once and it was completely fine, it just needed a bit more time to get ready for it's debut. But as a rough guide: ducklings can take on average 24 hours from internal pip to external pip, another 24 hours from external pip to zipping and then another 8 from there to complete the hatch. And some can take much longer. From your description of the first (26 day) duckling's activity it sounds like she may be thinking about zipping. It is possible that she made a little breathing hole in the membrane, that you can't see. (I've seen this before with chick hatches.) If she's active and not showing signs of distress I'd leave her, but if you think she needs help you can make a little breathing hole in the membrane for her, but only a tiny one and be very careful.

The 29 day duckling: I think with this one I think it would be a good time to create an artificial pip hole in the shell. The article explains it, but I'll tell you what I do. What I do is take I needle/pin, make sure it's clean first, and scratch a little line over and over and over on the shell until I'm through. Then I use a pair of tweezers to make the hole a bit bigger. I do this right at the end of the egg, far away from the air sac line, to minimise risk of hurting the chick/duckling. Then replace the egg in the incubator and let the little one get on with it. Sometimes they just need a bit of fresh air to get them going.

Hope this helps.
 
sumi said:
Welcome to BYC
frow.gif
Ducklings can take a few days to complete a hatch from start to finish, so it's hard to judge when to intervene. I've had a duckling take 4 days once and it was completely fine, it just needed a bit more time to get ready for it's debut. But as a rough guide: ducklings can take on average 24 hours from internal pip to external pip, another 24 hours from external pip to zipping and then another 8 from there to complete the hatch. And some can take much longer. From your description of the first (26 day) duckling's activity it sounds like she may be thinking about zipping. It is possible that she made a little breathing hole in the membrane, that you can't see. (I've seen this before with chick hatches.) If she's active and not showing signs of distress I'd leave her, but if you think she needs help you can make a little breathing hole in the membrane for her, but only a tiny one and be very careful.

The 29 day duckling: I think with this one I think it would be a good time to create an artificial pip hole in the shell. The article explains it, but I'll tell you what I do. What I do is take I needle/pin, make sure it's clean first, and scratch a little line over and over and over on the shell until I'm through. Then I use a pair of tweezers to make the hole a bit bigger. I do this right at the end of the egg, far away from the air sac line, to minimise risk of hurting the chick/duckling. Then replace the egg in the incubator and let the little one get on with it. Sometimes they just need a bit of fresh air to get them going.

Hope this helps.
Click to expand...

agree
 
Thanks for the reply. Although :( I shouldn't have listened.. she died. Somehow she turned around and my husband didn't realize in time to get her out/assist with her o2 intake. We did end up helping the other one. She was doing great, but the membrane started turning and she was stuck as well. She couldn't peck anymore that she hadn't broke away and her neck was tangled in a way that didn't allow her to just push through. She's out and moving around great. rests for mere moments and then moves gets walking.. I was shocked to see he didn't rest at all initially.. he did make the push out on his own.. but i did need to spray him because he was a bit stuck.. I don't have a humidity thermometer.. I don't intend on hatching a lot, but will certainly be investing in one if we go at this again!! Any tips for the new hatchling?
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

Susan Skylark
    • Like
No air cell?
Replies
6
Views
3K
Susan Skylark
Susan Skylark
W
    • Like
Day 24, shall I shut the incubator down.
Replies
8
Views
1K
Susan Skylark
Susan Skylark
ophio
    • Like
Saddled Air Cells
Replies
3
Views
2K
Susan Skylark
Susan Skylark
newchickychick
Incubation question - chicks forming where air cell is?
Replies
2
Views
2K
newchickychick
newchickychick
Chicken_overlord
Air Cells too Small?
Replies
1
Views
755
Susan Skylark
Susan Skylark

New posts New threads Active threads

Back
Top Bottom