Help! First time to incubate duck eggs

[feathersInfirst]

I took some eggs from our ducks at home and we are incubating them in my first grade classroom. We are on day 29/30 depending on when you start counting (I have seen many different opinions on that). We have 4 that have hatched and one that has been going at it for 2 1/2 days now! None of the other 8 eggs have even externally pipped yet I was so careful to keep the temperature and humidity perfect throughout the whole incubation period! I candled the eggs a couple days before lockdown and they were all doing great and wriggling around! What could have gone wrong?? Should I give them another couple days or so? Our two drakes are a runner and a mallard. And our hens are runners, mallards, and a rouen. Do rouens take a bit longer since they are bigger ducks? Any advice would be appreciated!

 

[feathersInfirst]

Anyone??

 

[Sristi]

Duck eggs can be pretty tough to hatch. If the one pipped 2 days ago and shows no more progress, it's probably dead. You can candle to make sure, or pick it up and listen for peeping sounds. For the rest, I'd pull them out and candle them. If they're still alive, you'll see the duckling inside moving around. otherwise, if it's past 28 days and they haven't even pipped, they've probably died.
I'm sorry this has been such a disappointing hatch for you. It's rough to wait for four weeks and not get the results you hoped for.

 

[dotknott]

When you candled last you saw movement yes? Any sign of an internal pip?

 

[dotknott]

What kind of ducks?

 

[feathersInfirst]

I candled them last week before lockdown and there was movement in all of the eggs but no internal pipping at that point. I finally had to help the one today that's been trying to hatch for four days. I had been moistening the egg all morning. I think we have too much calcium in our water at home so the shells were extra tough. It's doing ok now!! It's crawling around in the incubator and peeping! But I think it may have a broken leg do you know if there's anything I can do to help it?? It seems really healthy other than that. We've named it Trooper for being such a trooper! As for the other eight eggs, we are now on day 31 and I see no movement. Some of them look like they have bruising on the inside, and I know that's not a good thing.

 

[feathersInfirst]

Our hens are rouens, runners, and mallards. Our drakes that fertilized them are a mallard and a runner.

 

[dotknott]

I candled them last week before lockdown and there was movement in all of the eggs but no internal pipping at that point. I finally had to help the one today that's been trying to hatch for four days. I had been moistening the egg all morning. I think we have too much calcium in our water at home so the shells were extra tough. It's doing ok now!! It's crawling around in the incubator and peeping! But I think it may have a broken leg do you know if there's anything I can do to help it?? It seems really healthy other than that. We've named it Trooper for being such a trooper! As for the other eight eggs, we are now on day 31 and I see no movement. Some of them look like they have bruising on the inside, and I know that's not a good thing.

Sometimes after hatch they have some leg weirdness. Key an eye on it for lack of progress in the next day or so.

 

[jessicanickell]

For duck eggs that aren't Muscovy, when do you stop the hatch. Today is day 28 for me. 3 of 6 hatched yesterday and nothing today, no pips. Should I give another day?