Help me! My duck eggs were rocking and I think I killed them in lockdown!!

[CelticOaksFarm]

yep a 3-5 day over the due date is a good waiting period for eggs you didnt set yourself and arent sure of the dates on.

new incubators need calibrated as well. Shipping bounces them around, and well thermometers just need calibrated to be sure they are reading properly.

 

[Kitten7981]

I was trying! I was going to calibrate it after it had been up and running for a few days and it had settled a bit... but my hen decided it was a good day to get off her eggs

but, i have some something.... I think i have external pipping on an egg.. I could see the base of the egg bulging, for lack of a better word, and I asked my husbdand and mum to check it (she dropped in) and she could see it too... So 1 or 2 might be ok... i'll check again overnight and tomorrow and wait some more...

 

[faykokoWV]

step away from the incubator!!! do not open it to check on the eggs! Do not try to help them out when they start hatching. Once one hatches - do not open the incubator!!!! it will be fine for 2 days in there - but if you open before then you can kill the rest

 

[Kitten7981]

Ok, so my chicken now has 5 ducklings and 1 more egg that's jiggling.... Winston (the first one who is now a week and a half) is so big compared to the other babies... We did have to open up and help one baby out though. He got his beak out and I waited 2 days and nothing was happening so I took my chance to dive in, grab the egg and add some more water to the incubator and his egg had 'dried out' and he was sorta stuck, so I broke a few bits of the egg off and delicately used a knife to split the membrane looking thing and then put him back and let him do the rest on his own... At first I thought he wouldn't make it but after a night of being under his new mummy and being with his siblings he has picked right up and is moving around with the other babies...

I'll post pics over the next few days... Xxx thanks for all your advice!

 

[Goose and Fig]

That is great news!

 

[faykokoWV]