Hatching Khaki Campbells

[Lacrystol]

Is this the first time you have used this bator if not can you tell me how did you clean the bator before using it again or did it not get cleaned. If it wasn't cleaned and please don't feel embarrassed or ashamed because we can fix it.

Can you also tell me where your settings are temp and humidity at..

 

[Lacrystol]

here's the best example I can give you for something that is shrink wrapped. Think of a piece of plastic, if you take that plastic and put it in the oven or something hot like a fire. It's shrivels up. Shrink wrap with An egg does the same thing. It shrivels up around the embryo which confines them basically squeezing them to death. With your little guy getting out safely, makes me have my doubts about him being shrink wrapped.

So I believe something else is happening and we need to figure it out and fast before we loose more.

The only time we need a safe hole is if it's been at least 24 hours. You see they have enough air in that shell for at least 24 hours before making that outer crack. You said the next one just peeped this morning so his 24 hours isn't ready yet. Don't get me wrong the 24 hours doesn't mean he's going to be out and running around it just means that hell crack that shell to get air. It could be another 24 to 48 before he's completely out. Ducks are lot slower then chickens. I think chickens are on drugs lol and Rush to get the heck out. Ducks like to take there time, make sure there make up is on, there little baby fur is combed and Styled correctly, they have to pick the right outfit. Oh there's a lot a duck goes through before you see them. Lol. So while they prepare.

Let's figure out what going on with that bator.

 

[kychilds7]

the temp has been steadily at 99.5-100 ever since i bought it. its a still air little giant incubator with the water canals at the bottom. ive had it running since the end of september probably and like i said i didnt even realize that my ducks laid eggs, i thought my chickens were laying fertile eggs so i would just put them all in together, one day i checked and surprise! i had 5 baby ducklings growing in there! and now i have 9, 2 that are in the process of beginning their hatch and 7 that are 2 and a half weeks into their development. currently the humidity is at 50%, but its hard to tell how consistent it is because sometimes it says 50, sometimes it says 60 or 71. i checked the eggs this morning, one of them i can see his bill in the air pocket and i heard him peep, the other one still looks like hes trying to get through to the air sac, i just keep seeing him shoot up and try to cut through but then he just sinks back down. they dont need to breathe until the get through to the air pocket right? that one has been trying to get through since yesterday morning and i dont want to make anymore mistakes and lose another. i wont be home for most of the day and im so nervous to leave them here!!! the one egg that i can see his bill hasnt made any marks or scratches on the eggshell yet but i can see him opening his mouth and stuff! im trying to be so hard to just be patient!!

 

[Lacrystol]

OK for still air the temp should be at 101 to around 102 so that could be one issue. The second issue do you have several eggs in there that have different due dates? If so do you have another bator? Because my question would be how did you plan on locking the ones that are ready to come out down versus not locking the others down?

You see three days before there due date you should be raising the humidity up to around 60-65 and they don't get turned any more. If you have some that aren't due yet your basically locking them down too. Chances are the ones that are not ready will get very sticky.

if you can get another humidity reader to put in there that would be great to try and get a more accurate reading. Otherwise, try to keep the humidity around 50.

Are you hand turning them? if not the ones that are making process and are ready needs to be unturned it's going to be hard for them to get out if they are being turned..

Heres my suggestion if you do NOT have another bator. Keep the humidity around 50, get the temp up to around 101-102, for those that are trying to get out now, Get a spray bottle put some warm water in it and spray just those eggs, give them about one good squirting per day until they have externally pipped or cracked threw the shell. you don't want to lock them down if you have others that are still growing.

You may need to assist the two as they get closer to coming out but we need them to crack that shell before doing anything. So let them keep doing there thing give them a spray and see if that helps them at all.

do you have any due dates for any of the eggs??

 

[Lacrystol]

FYI, please get a temp gage in that bator wait about an hour and check the reading versus what's on the bator.

According to some of the reviews that I have read, the Little giant bators are off by 5 degrees this would make a HUGE difference in your hatching...

If it is off that much then raise that temp up to around 103 as scary as that sounds, so please get new gages and make they are reading close to what the bator is showing..


If that's the case, it's definitely not something you are doing..

 

[kychilds7]

the due dates for the other eggs the weekend after thanksgiving. i will be sure to spray these two that are in the process. i have a thermometer that i bought awhile ago just in case, im gonna stick that in there if i can find it lol. the one duckling that has internally pipped is sort of bobbing up and down and the outside shell of the egg looks discolored almost is that normal? hes been internally pipped since i got home this morning at 9am so he couldve done it anytime during the night and im nervous that he will run out of air overnight. the other one still hasnt internally pipped and hes been trying since saturday afternoon so im not really sure what to do there either. he wasnt moving very much when i just looked at them, the one that internally pipped is moving a lot and peeping and you can see the scratches from the little tooth on the inside of the shell. i candle them every other day and they are all still wiggling around and are just now starting to take up most of the egg to the point that it looks black. is there anything else i can do?

 

[LittleLakePhil]

I've been following along on this.....good luck....I hope this all works out for you......Phil

 

[Lacrystol]

the due dates for the other eggs the weekend after thanksgiving. i will be sure to spray these two that are in the process. i have a thermometer that i bought awhile ago just in case, im gonna stick that in there if i can find it lol. the one duckling that has internally pipped is sort of bobbing up and down and the outside shell of the egg looks discolored almost is that normal? hes been internally pipped since i got home this morning at 9am so he couldve done it anytime during the night and im nervous that he will run out of air overnight. the other one still hasnt internally pipped and hes been trying since saturday afternoon so im not really sure what to do there either. he wasnt moving very much when i just looked at them, the one that internally pipped is moving a lot and peeping and you can see the scratches from the little tooth on the inside of the shell. i candle them every other day and they are all still wiggling around and are just now starting to take up most of the egg to the point that it looks black. is there anything else i can do?

Sounds almost like he's sticky? Discoloring of the shell is usually a good sign of that. I would wait until tonight then make him a safe hole. VERY small hole, no bigger then the tip of a pen. Once you have the safe hole no need to worry about him running out of air.. To big of a hole could harm them. Also were you able to get that heat up? They get cold very easily and we need to keep him warm. Try to avoid taken them out to candle them at this point..

 

[kychilds7]

oh gosh what does it mean to be sticky? yes i was able to get the temp up and the humidity has been at 60% since yesterday. if i were to create the safe hole would i have to wrap a paper towel around him or anything? i can hear him peeping from outside the incubator and the egg is moving every now and then lol is that all normal?

 

[kychilds7]

how long can they breathe in the air sac before needing outside air?