external pipping at 24 days help??

[Mum]

The dark shadowy patch could be the beak from internal pipping; if it is, can you hear pipping?

 

[marisabe]

my incubator is a bit loud!!!!

so I can't hear anything!! and I'm too afraid to open the incubator and pick it up!! still no external pip now and we're halfway through day 28

 

[Danielle2017]

I wish I knew how to help you. I have three eggs in the incubator due to hatch in one week and I know I'm going to be just as stressed. Keep us updated and hopefully someone will have some good advice for you. But if it were me, I think I would wait another day to see if they pip. Or try to hear something like someone else said. Good luck.

 

[marisabe]

oh thanks!! my nerves are in shreds!! lol! but I'll keep my fingers (and toes) crossed!!

 

[Mum]

oh thanks!! my nerves are in shreds!! lol! but I'll keep my fingers (and toes) crossed!!

I truly understand your concerns - around 10 days ago I had a campbell egg hatch on day 26. Waited for day 28 for the other egg to 'hatch' and no go. Waited extra days only to discover that it was no longer viable.

I'm wondering, as you mentioned 3 eggs if you are using the same type of incubator I used: R-com incubator? Mine wasn't noisy or loud though, so perhaps not.

There are a number of different things which can affect the success rate of an egg even before the incubator stage: such as, age of eggs before being put in the incubator; mating rate of the female who laid the egg; fertility rate of the pair; if the incubator was pre-heated for some hours before the eggs were put in there etc.

Once they begin developing, there are various reasons they may not hatch successfully too.

With two still left, you still have a 50-50 chance of at least one hatch. Which then makes me wonder: if you only have one hatch, what will you do? In my instance, and knowing lone ducklings do not thrive in isolation, I went out and bought a duckling who was a couple of days younger.

Naturally, I have my

for you and your eggs, but I just wanted to let you know of some reasons why some eggs are unsuccessful and not to be too hard on yourself if things don't quite work out how you expected.

 

[marisabe]

It's so difficult not to blame yourself though isn't it, especially for me with the little fella that pipped and then died!! But I shall treat it as a learning curve and carry on reading up and talking to more experienced people and hopefully next time I will be better prepared.

I bought the eggs of ebay, so they spent a few days in the postal system, although I followed instructions and left them rest etc I've since read mixed reviews about getting eggs this way.

If I am lucky enough to get one hatch, there's a lady in the village whose eggs hatched yesterday, so she's going to let me foster one of hers to keep him company!

Thanks for all your help, I'm so glad I found this site, I've learnt so much already!

 

[Mum]

Yes, it is

How wonderful that you have someone prepared to let you foster a duckling if you need to; that's great!

Whats the latest with your eggs?

 

[marisabe]

No joy I'm afraid, can't see any movement or signs of pipping

I shall probably give them till tomorrow, that will be 30 days then do one last candling just to be 100%. Sooooo disappointed!

 

[Mum]

Oh I am sorry marisabe; really doesn't sound good

but, I can understand hanging on for Day 30.

Really understand just how disappointed you are feeling

You still have an incubator, so maybe you could ask the lady down the road who just hatched eggs, if she has any fertile eggs you could buy from her? Or, are there any farm shops locally who sell eggs that may have some fertilised eggs (that's where I started when I first began).

 

[marisabe]

Hi,

I actually have another egg in the incubator that I put in from a batch a friend brought us down to eat! and despite the fact I have ignored it for the past few days as I didn't want to open the incubator I candled him last night and he's dancing around having a little disco of his own!!

Which I suppose just proves the point that this hatching game is not an exact science!! So I might just see what happens with him before I attempt to put any more eggs in to hatch! He's got another two weeks to go so I'll keep you posted!! and thanks again for your help!