Hands on hatching and help

[aart]

The Broody controls the humidity. She rips her feathers out on her belly to increase it

Pulling feathers allows 'skin to egg' contact for optimal heat transfer,
not sure about humidity.

 

[ronott1]

Pulling feathers allows 'skin to egg' contact for optimal heat transfer,
not sure about humidity.

Humidity does go up with broodies. I read a study where it was measured through incubation. I think it was by removing feathers but I can remember things wrong LOL

 

[Pyxis]

Hey guys. My silkie is sitting on 3 call duck eggs. Ducklings are mixed. Mom is a call and dad is a silkie duck. Anyways I cant remember how long they should be internally pipped for? I think 48 hours but not positive. When should I worry if they dont externally pip? 2 eggs have a hairline crack and I'm worried about them losing humidity. Thanks.

24 hours for internal pip. External can be up to 48 before zipping.

With these being part Call, the fear is that their beak and neck will be too short to reach the shell to pip. If you don't see an external pip within 24 hours of internal pip, I'd be doing a safety hole.

A lot of Call breeders have to help the ducklings hatch, even under broodies.

 

[plschick1210]

I am new to this group but I have incubated several batches of chicken eggs and I am just getting into incubating guinea eggs. I should have some chicken eggs hatching any day now. I enjoy incubating and I will help as needed. I always listen to my gut instinct on whether or not to help. I am very hands on while incubating. I candle them a lot. Probably more than I should. One of my favorite chickens is a little silkie mix I had to help hatch. He was under a broody hen and another hen got in her box and decided to peck his shell. He had some blood loss and was just too weak in the end to hatch himself, even after I brought him in and put him in the incubator. It took very careful hands and a lot of patience. His name is Pip and he is a very spunky rooster.

 

[C Kulak]

URGENT Please help. Most of my Muscovy ducklings died late in the shell, at day 35. They had small air sacs. Of my last 3, one has hatched with help (it was backwards), One has started to pip, but has a small air sac, and one is still moving, but not much, and has a very small air sac. I don't want to lose them, what should I do? It is now day 38.

 

[ronott1]

URGENT Please help. Most of my Muscovy ducklings died late in the shell, at day 35. They had small air sacs. Of my last 3, one has hatched with help (it was backwards), One has started to pip, but has a small air sac, and one is still moving, but not much, and has a very small air sac. I don't want to lose them, what should I do? It is now day 38.

The small air cells are likely do to them not developing well. The most likely cause is temperture too low since they are hatching late

I found a guide that said ventilation is very important for them so the ones not doing well that hatched may be helped by pulling plugs in the incubator or opening the vents(depends on model of incubator).

Humidity needs to be higher for them than for chicken eggs. For the next hatch, calibrate a good thermometer and hygrometer and make sure the incubator is running at the correct settings:

Reference:

Incubation

The hatchery should be properly ventilated to assure good hatches. Incubators should be tested prior to setting eggs to assure that optimum conditions are maintained. Muscovy ducks require an incubation period of 35 days. Eggs should be set with the large end up or in a horizontal position depending on the type of incubator trays used. It is suggested that hatcheries use the manufacturer’s recommended temperature and humidity settings for duck eggs until experience is gained. Most machines are equipped with automatic turning devices and they should be set to turn the eggs every hour. If the eggs must be turned manually, it should be done 3 or more (an odd number) times per day.

For still-air incubators the temperature within the incubator should be maintained at approximately 102oF (39oC) with 60 to 65% relative humidity. The thermometer should be placed at average egg height. Water pans should be filled just prior to use and water replaced every 3 to 4 days throughout the incubation period. The eggs should be placed horizontally and turned 180 degrees on the long axis, 3 or more times per day (an odd number). In forced-air incubators a dry bulb temperature of 99.5oF (37.5oC) and a wet bulb temperature of 88oF (31.5oC; equivalent to 65% relative humidity) are recommended.

Eggs should be transferred to hatching machines approximately 3 days prior to hatch (this can be done anytime after 24 days if desired). Recommended settings during hatch are 98.5oF (37oC) temperature and a wet-bulb temperature of 88oF (31oC; equivalent to 66% relative humidity). Eggs should not be turned in the hatchers. Hatchers should be cleaned and disinfected after each hatch. Setters can be cleaned less frequently but should still be cleaned on a regular basis.

 

[aart]

Small air cells usually means humidity was too high.
Might be different with ducks than chickens tho.

 

[ronott1]

The number one cause of small air cells is temps too low. Second can be humidity too high or too low.

As the chick develops, the air cell grows more than normal evaporation will cause. It is a sign that the chick did not develop well if the air cell is too small

The same is true for sticky chicks. Humidity is blamed for too many things. As long as humidity is in the safe for incubation range it makes little difference.

I have been trying for a long time to get people incubating eggs to understand that temperature is the most important thing. Get that right and hatches will be good

 

[aart]

The number one cause of small air cells is temps too low. Second can be humidity too high or too low.

As the chick develops, the air cell grows more than normal evaporation will cause. It is a sign that the chick did not develop well if the air cell is too small

The same is true for sticky chicks. Humidity is blamed for too many things. As long as humidity is in the safe for incubation range it makes little difference.

I have been trying for a long time to get people incubating eggs to understand that temperature is the most important thing. Get that right and hatches will be good

Makes sense.

 

[C Kulak]

Thank-you everyone for your help. My temp was fine, but I messed up on the humidity . It was way too high. I have 2 healthy ducklings though, and am glad I didn't lose the entire batch! Thanks again x