Hatching

[casportpony]

My own experience in hatching calls.

Okay, so your experience with calls says that 80% kills them, but mine with Muscovies, peafowl. chicken chicks and keets says otherwise. Definitely one I need to do some more experiments on.

Truth be told, sometimes my backup hygrometer has read 95%, but I'm not sure how accurate that is anymore, so I just go by what the display on the incubators says.

-Kathy

 

[Lacrystol]

When they are in that shell and at lockdown, my own personal experience 80% or higher humidity will wipe them out, it may not be right away I can't put a time frame on it but since lockdown is considered 3 days I can definitely tell you that is to long at that high of humidity. Me personally I would be in a panic if it was at 80% for more then 1 hour but again I can't tell you the exact time frame..

 

[casportpony]

All of mine were fine at the higher humidity, but all of them had pipped internally, maybe that's the difference. The higher humidity with mine reduced the number that needed assistance and reduced the overall time it took them to go from pip to hatch.

Hatcher used was a Janoel 48 with the bottom filled and several dishes placed on the hatching rack. Humidity in house was 15-35%, temp was 75-90 degrees.

-Kathy

 

[babynuts43]

Miss Lydia, You said ducks take longer than chicks to hatch. Can you expand on that? I am a total newbie to incubators, our chickens were doing just fine themselves until they decided to turn on the chicks. So we decided to get an incubator and hatch some chickens. Then my favorite duck Bobble (black Indian Runner) just disappeared on day (believe it was a great horned owl...been losing khaki campbells too) so we decided to but the 4 eggs from his mate Beaker we were holding until she had a good clutch into the incubator as well. We had one of the chicken eggs hatch last Monday. This morning I woke up at 5:45, checked on the 4 duck eggs and heard chirping! Was SOOOOO excited....but even more so when I checked before leaving to work at 6:45 and saw one had pipped! Got home this afternoon at 4 and still just the one doing anything, the pip has broken through the membrane and I am still hearing chirping and the egg is moving as well. The chicken hatched completely within oh, I think within 8 hours from the pip. When do I start worrying about this little duckling? It is so very special since it will be all I have left of Bobble...would really hate to lose it but sure don't want to do anything to cause it to die during hatching. Any advice is greatly appreciated

 

[Miss Lydia]

Miss Lydia, You said ducks take longer than chicks to hatch. Can you expand on that? I am a total newbie to incubators, our chickens were doing just fine themselves until they decided to turn on the chicks. So we decided to get an incubator and hatch some chickens. Then my favorite duck Bobble (black Indian Runner) just disappeared on day (believe it was a great horned owl...been losing khaki campbells too) so we decided to but the 4 eggs from his mate Beaker we were holding until she had a good clutch into the incubator as well. We had one of the chicken eggs hatch last Monday. This morning I woke up at 5:45, checked on the 4 duck eggs and heard chirping! Was SOOOOO excited....but even more so when I checked before leaving to work at 6:45 and saw one had pipped! Got home this afternoon at 4 and still just the one doing anything, the pip has broken through the membrane and I am still hearing chirping and the egg is moving as well. The chicken hatched completely within oh, I think within 8 hours from the pip. When do I start worrying about this little duckling? It is so very special since it will be all I have left of Bobble...would really hate to lose it but sure don't want to do anything to cause it to die during hatching. Any advice is greatly appreciated

When hatching in a bator I am no good except for what I've read on here and I still like to refer to those experienced. Only thing I can vouch for is ducklings take longer to hatch, seems chicks just pip and zip really quick but ducklings take much longer some time s from 24 to 36 hrs. they work at hatching then they take a rest so if you don't see or hearing anything for a while don't get to alarmed. Best thing to do now is sit on your hands and watch, make sure your humidity is where it should be and hope for the best. They really like to keep us on pins and needles. Lets hope you'll not have any problems and the ducklings will start hatching. Keep ups updated on this lil one that has already pipped.

 

[babynuts43]

Thanks for the info....was the from pip to zip part I was wondering about

Have seen the beak almost come totally out but then it took a nap, now it has moved to pecking over from the hole it made back under the membrane at the edge of the shell. Hoping that means it is trying to break more shell? But lo and behold, while we were watching and encouraging this one to come out we look and see one of the other eggs moving and while we watched it pipped!!!

So now we have 2 eggs to watch with double the chances of getting a little Bobble/Beaker who has already been named Babble

 

[babynuts43]

My main worry right now is the color of the membrane. Do I worry about this? sorry the pic is so large

 

[casportpony]

How long since it pipped?

-Kathy

 

[babynuts43]

If you mean mine, the first one pipped some time between 5:45 and 6:45 this morning. The second one just pipped right before my post. The one in the pic is the first one, and this evening about an hour before I took the pic it was poking it's beak almost all the way out.

 

[casportpony]

If you mean mine, the first one pipped some time between 5:45 and 6:45 this morning. The second one just pipped right before my post. The one in the pic is the first one, and this evening about an hour before I took the pic it was poking it's beak almost all the way out.

That's within the range of normal. Keep that humidity up an I bet you find a duckling in the morning. Does that hatcher have ventilation holes? If so, I believe they should be open.

-Kathy