HELP - Duck egg pipped at day 20!

[NikkiJade]

Looking for advice please! First time incubating eggs and have a duck egg externally pipped at day 20! Intermittent movement but no cheeping/sound. When candling, egg seemed to be developing faster than expected but this still seems too early! Other 3 eggs have not pipped and they are sharing an incubator so not sure what to do in terms of turning/humidity level/lockdown.
Got the eggs from a farm so unsure of breed (very small, white eggs approximately 2 inches long).
Any help is much appreciated! Picture attached

 

[Ducks 4 life]

If one pipped raise the humidity to 60 since its still early and don't want to drown other chicks. Try to only open incubator when necessary. Stop turning that specific egg and only then the other ones when needed. Stop turning eggs all together when 3 days before hatch. Earliest I ever had pipping was On day 26. Chances are if it comes this earlier it will be weaker than others. Once at day 25 raise humidity to 65 or 70 and leave it. You will now be in lock down. Hope this helps and let me know if you have more questions

 

[AltonaAcres]

Are you sure it's not a chicken egg?

 

[Ducks 4 life]

Are you sure it's not a chicken egg?

That is a good point. Because they hatch around 21 days. So i guess you'll know when it comes out

 

[NikkiJade]

Thanks for the reply! I’m not actually 100% sure - I have emailed the farm to check. I requested ducklings but it was contact-less pickup (COVID) so could have been a mistake! They did seem to develop quickly...
They breed bantam ducks which have smaller eggs I think? Could that effect the hatch time?

 

[FunnyfarmMidwest]

Thanks for the reply! I’m not actually 100% sure - I have emailed the farm to check. I requested ducklings but it was contact-less pickup (COVID) so could have been a mistake! They did seem to develop quickly...
They breed bantam ducks which have smaller eggs I think? Could that effect the hatch time?

If they were call ducks which are a bantam breed it might affect the hatch time. I’ve heard they hatch on day 25. I myself have 7 calls but I haven’t hatched any of them myself. @Isaac 0 is very experienced with Bantam ducks so he could probably provide some information for you. When it comes closer to hatch you may have to assist if they are calls, Again I bet Isaac can help you out with some information. Best of luck with your ducklings!
-Rachel

 

[Isaac 0]

I guarantee you these are chicken eggs, they usually hatch well on their own. What's your humidity been, and whatsit at now, and is that bedding you have in the incubator?

 

[NikkiJade]

I guarantee you these are chicken eggs, they usually hatch well on their own. What's your humidity been, and whatsit at now, and is that bedding you have in

That would be a bit of a shock when I asked for ducklings but I’ll take a healthy chick at the moment! The humidity has been fairly constant between 55 and 60 - we’ve raised it now to 65. It’s a homemade incubator so it’s mostly been done with water levels and sponges but monitored fairly constantly by my Dad (retired and shielding) throughout the day. Since it’s pipped, the movement has completely stopped, no noise either. I’m concerned as my parents said there was movement that looked like breathing before and now there is nothing

Edit: they are sitting on wood shavings on advice of farm and they have said they are probably call ducks - if they aren’t chickens...

 

[NikkiJade]

Update - they are indeed chickens ! Unfortunately we lost the one who wasn’t moving, he was in an awkward position and by the time we stepped in, he had already gone. Absolutely heartbreaking but we had one hatch earlier who seems to be doing well

 

[FunnyfarmMidwest]

Update - they are indeed chickens ! Unfortunately we lost the one who wasn’t moving, he was in an awkward position and by the time we stepped in, he had already gone. Absolutely heartbreaking but we had one hatch earlier who seems to be doing well

Wow! Good luck with your chicks! Sorry you lost one.