Duck eggs day 27 safety holes or not

[Jenbirdee]

4 duck eggs in incubator now day 27.5
2 are bigger eggs (Anconas) they both have nice big air spaces and I see some external pipping has begun yay
2 are smaller and their air spaces are pretty small so I’m considering safety holes . I see they have internally pipped .
Don’t want to wait too long
Any advice

 

[KathiQuacks]

How long has it been since they’ve internally pipped?

Usually I’ll wait 24 hours post internal pip to do safety holes, but you can do them now, if you’d like.

After an internal pip, ducklings take about 24-36 hours to externally pip, and then they take an additional 36-48 hours to hatch.

 

[Jenbirdee]

How long has it been since they’ve internally pipped?

Usually I’ll wait 24 hours post internal pip to do safety holes, but you can do them now, if you’d like.

After an internal pip, ducklings take about 24-36 hours to externally pip, and then they take an additional 36-48 hours to hatch.

Thanks this is my first time ever using an incubator . Last year I let my chicken hatch some duck eggs and all the years before that I had zero Drakes

 

[Jenbirdee]

The other one externally pipped this morning. The one that I did The safety hole in went about 12-18 hours from int pip to safety hole. Then 24 more hours and I chipped away a tiny bit shell to find his bill. Then 6 hours later I chipped away more and applied coconut oil. I was afraid he might be stuck and not able to turn in zip because he was tapping on the same spot for a long time and of course being a noob at this I intervene probably too soon, right? So I’m guessing he still has yolk to absorb but also worried he can’t hatch on his own now so I made a little video
Should I keep applying coconut oil every few hours overnight? He was opening and closing his mouth earlier today, but now he’s not. Maybe I need to open the Shell more in the morning? It will be half way through day 29 then.

 

[Jenbirdee]

@KathiQuacks @New duck mommy 2021 halp

 

[KathiQuacks]

The other one externally pipped this morning. The one that I did The safety hole in went about 12-18 hours from int pip to safety hole. Then 24 more hours and I chipped away a tiny bit shell to find his bill. Then 6 hours later I chipped away more and applied coconut oil. I was afraid he might be stuck and not able to turn in zip because he was tapping on the same spot for a long time and of course being a noob at this I intervene probably too soon, right? So I’m guessing he still has yolk to absorb but also worried he can’t hatch on his own now so I made a little video
Should I keep applying coconut oil every few hours overnight? He was opening and closing his mouth earlier today, but now he’s not. Maybe I need to open the Shell more in the morning? It will be half way through day 29 then.

View attachment 4112268

Yes, that baby is not ready to hatch yet. The bill push in the video is the baby stretching.

Keep moistening every few hours, yes. The hole is open enough now though, I would stop chipping shell until they “say” they’re ready. You’ll know they’re ready when they make lots of noise and move around frantically.
Let them try to hatch on their own, but if they cannot, just chip away enough to get their head out, and then leave them to do the rest.

 

[Jenbirdee]

Yes, that baby is not ready to hatch yet. The bill push in the video is the baby stretching.

Keep moistening every few hours, yes. The hole is open enough now though, I would stop chipping shell until they “say” they’re ready. You’ll know they’re ready when they make lots of noise and move around frantically.
Let them try to hatch on their own, but if they cannot, just chip away enough to get their head out, and then leave them to do the rest.

Thanks again. I wish I had sat on my hands and did no more than the safety hole. Because she died sometime between 2 and 4 AM. I was applying a little more ointment every 2 to 3 hours. I think it suffocated her. So I took her out of the shell and I saw there was still some yolk. My fault for worrying . learning experience noted.
The other Cayuga egg is still incubating and I have done nothing to try to help her thankfully for your post about how many hours it can take. Waiting waiting .

 

[New duck mommy 2021]

I’m so sorry I missed this
When I assist I do it much different then I use to it any posts in articles
I make a tiny safety hole with a tac pin. Hole is only as big as the pin
Then I leave the baby be for 24-30 hours
Sometimes all they needed was extra time to make their own pip and hatch themselves
Others if they haven’t in that 24-30 hours I will candle the egg. Not in the air cell but just above it once baby starts to move into air cell it opens up room to see in the egg if I see any red veins I set back and check in 4 more hours
I repeat this until I only see a dull yellow look in the egg
This tells me all the veins are gone
Then I take my finger nail and zip the egg and pull the cap back abc let baby push out
I never make the safety hole bigger then original pin hole until I zip it
Air can get in but baby doesn’t dry out and I don’t have to tend to membrane
When they pip it’s a little pip till they are ready to zip so they don’t need a bigger hole to breath
Hope this helps others who may read this or you if baby 2 will need help getting out