Help ancona ducklings not internally pippped yet!

[rbishoff]

Hi this is my first time trying to hatch eggs myself. I ordered myself some Ancona hatching eggs in the mail. 6 fertilized. One I lost within the first week then two on day 25. It is now day 29 and I thought that they had pipped internally two days ago. When I candle them I can't exactly see their beaks sticking into the air sack but they are moving around the shell like crazy. I'm really worried, I've devoted the past month to them and getting ready for them to come and I would just be devastated if they didn't make it Is there anything I can do to help them? Or is this normal? I'm just really worried about them

 

[GitaBooks]

I'm sorry it took so long to respond.

How are they doing?

 

[rbishoff]

I'm thinking that two of them have internally pipped now. But when I tap on the shell I don't hear peeping. I've read on several of these threads that they'll do that. I can see them moving around in the shell and now two of them in the air pocket. But, I'm not sure if they're stuck in the membrane and just pushing it up so it looks like they've pipped or not. It's the 30th day now and I've already lost two in the shell five days ago for no apparent reason.

 

[GitaBooks]

Try opening up the very top, where the airsac is, and see if their beaks have made it through. This is what I did, and three out of four of my chicks survived with some assistance.

 

[rbishoff]

What should I use to do this? A small exacto-knife?

 

[rbishoff]

Try opening up the very top, where the airsac is, and see if their beaks have made it through. This is what I did, and three out of four of my chicks survived with some assistance.

Okay I opened the top where their air sack was. Their beaks are not through yet

 

[rbishoff]

It looks like the membrane is partially dried. I have the humidity in my incubator at 70% getting no lower than 65% in their current state. I looked up on here how to deal with it so i wrapped them in warm paper towels to try and help them some and put them righr back into the incubator.

 

[GitaBooks]

Sorry I didn't respond sooner.
I ended up opening up the airsac where the beak was. There was bleeding and one didn't make it, but the other three did. I also wrapped mine in paper towels, leaving room for them to get fresh air. Because I have opened up the top, I don't think they could have hatched on their own, so once I checked to make sure they had absorbed all their blood and yolk sac, I helped them get out.

 

[rbishoff]

So do you think I should go ahead and try getting through the membrane to them?

 

[GitaBooks]

How are the veins? The first cut into the membrane bleeds pretty bad, but once it starts bleeding, the chick realizes it has to absorb the blood and seems to do so faster. After the first cut, I put the egg back in the incubator for 30 minutes to a few hours. If they are a day past hatching time, I would give it a try.