Ducklings not pipping externally (Please Help!! This is my first time incubating eggs)

[Steph21]

Yay! Congrats! Open the lid quick and take out his shell. That's why the humidity is so high. It'll go down after that. Yup, he's fine to knock them around. Is your brooder heated up? I wait 3 or 4 hours after one hatches and then move him to the brooder to finish drying.

I haven't heated my brooder up yet but I'll get that started. I thought they had to be left in the incubator longer. Also, a second one hatched over night!

 

[MGG]

I haven't heated my brooder up yet but I'll get that started. I thought they had to be left in the incubator longer. Also, a second one hatched over night!

Ok, yeah get it heated up. What is your heat source? (lamp, heating pad, brooder plate, etc.)
Nope. Some people say 24 hours, but it's not necessary. I do overnight max. Usually I remove them a couple hours after hatching though, once they start to dry a little.
That's great!!!

 

[Steph21]

Ok, yeah get it heated up. What is your heat source? (lamp, heating pad, brooder plate, etc.)
Nope. Some people say 24 hours, but it's not necessary. I do overnight max. Usually I remove them a couple hours after hatching though, once they start to dry a little.
That's great!!!

I have a heat lamp

 

[MGG]

I have a heat lamp

Ok. Sounds good. You might want to put a thermometer under it to check the temp. It should be around 99 directly underneath the lamp and less then 85 on the far end.

 

[Steph21]

Ok. Sounds good. You might want to put a thermometer under it to check the temp. It should be around 99 directly underneath the lamp and less then 85 on the far end.

This will probably be my last question (sorry for asking so many!) I have 2 more that will probably hatch within the next few hours if not sooner, however, I have one that has yet to externally pip. Do I need to help it or should I give it more time? I know it's still alive cause I checked it while I was taking my hatched ones out earlier today but it hasn't made any progress.

 

[shawluvsbirds]

This will probably be my last question (sorry for asking so many!) I have 2 more that will probably hatch within the next few hours if not sooner, however, I have one that has yet to externally pip. Do I need to help it or should I give it more time? I know it's still alive cause I checked it while I was taking my hatched ones out earlier today but it hasn't made any progress.

if the rest of them hatched without issue I would leave it alone it may just be a little bit behind the others.

 

[MGG]

This will probably be my last question (sorry for asking so many!) I have 2 more that will probably hatch within the next few hours if not sooner, however, I have one that has yet to externally pip. Do I need to help it or should I give it more time? I know it's still alive cause I checked it while I was taking my hatched ones out earlier today but it hasn't made any progress.

It's ok! I'm sure you'll have more questions, I don't mind answering them! Ask away! I agree with Shaw, I'd leave it for now.

 

[Steph21]

I put my Pekin duck eggs on lockdown yesterday because they had started pipping internally. All of them were alive and I could hear them tapping on the shell. I checked them today and I haven't seen any progress. I have read in different sources that if there isn't an external pip within 24 hours, you need to create an air hole so they don't suffocate. I did this earlier today, which would have been 24+ hours after the internal pip. They were all alive and tapping when I did this and also chirping. This has been the only time I opened the incubator during lockdown. As of now, it's been 48+ hours since the internal pip and I'm still not seeing any signs of an external pip. I've been keeping the humidity between 70% and 80% during lockdown. Before lockdown, I kept it between 50% and 55%. Do I need to intervene? I'm afraid to open the incubator but I haven't seen any progress. Is it supposed to take this long to externally pip? When I was making their air holes, I noticed that the eggs were really hard. I know duck eggs are tougher than chicken eggs but could this be a problem? Again, when I made the air holes today all ducklings were moving and tapping the shell and most chirped. Please help! This is my first time incubating.

**Update 1: Is it possible that they are treating the air hole I made as the external pip and so now they're in the rest period (breathing, absorbing yolk) before they completely hatch?

**Update 2: I just checked on them and I can see movement in one of the air holes and a few eggs are moving a little.

Update!

All of the eggs have hatched! Thank you so much to everyone that helped me! <3

 

[MGG]

Update!

All of the eggs have hatched! Thank you so much to everyone that helped me! <3View attachment 2392316

Congrats!!! What gorgeous babies.