Help - No progress since last night

[tia]

Thanks Gypsy07. That makes perfect sense. There is a lot for me to learn here for sure.

 

[Gypsy07]

Hey, you're welcome. I'm really crossing my fingers here for your little buddies.

Out of interest, what kind of bator do you use for your ducks and what humidities do you find to work best for them? I know most folk say 45-50% then up above 65% for lockdown, but I'm nearing the end of my first ever duck incubation and I've actually been running the incubator dry to get the correct moisture loss. I ran it at the recommended humidity for the first 10 days or so then realised they weren't losing nearly enough moisture. So it's been sitting just under 30% since I removed the water bowls and I'll still be struggling to get them to the right weight by Friday, which is when they will go into lockdown. I started off with 18 eggs but a disastrous incubator malfunction combined with a dodgy thermometer took them all up past 104F for probably half a day or so. I was really surprised any survived, but these 8 continued to show development. At the moment I think 6 are good and 2 are probable late quitters. The reason I think that is because while the first 6 are losing weight uniformly and as expected, the other 2 are still losing weight much more slowly, which kind of suggests that they have probably stopped developing any further. Weighing eggs is useful for figuring out that as well!

Anyway, I guess in a few days time I'll find out if my theories about humidity work as well with ducks as they do with chickens!

 

[tia]

I am a teacher. The school bought me a Brinsea Octagon. I have an R-Com Suro at home. I find them to be about equal. I hatch ducks at humidity of 55 and then raise it to 65 during lockdown. I have been pretty successful with ducks. I think both of those incubators hold temp and humidity pretty well. Still no headway with this little guy or pips... Think I am going to wet down a papertowel and put it around him and put him back in... might chip away loose egg shell by the opening if not attached to membrane... I sure hate to open that incubator.... but I don't want him to die either... It is so hard to know what to do. Makes it so much simpler when things go like there supposed to... no hard decisions.

 

[tia]

He is pretty shrink wrapped. I pulled off some shell and took a q-tip and moistened the membrane, but he is week and I am not sure that is going to be enough.. I wrapped him in a wet paper towel and put him back in.... He wants out... not sure if I should try working on him some more or not... I'm afraid if I don't he is so week that he won't make it.

 

[yinepu]

Quote:
if he's shrink wrapped.. he won't make it out of there by himself

 

[tia]

I helped him. but his stuff isn't all obsorbed... .. he is very weak. His eyes are closed, but he stretches. He is still attached to the cord.. his little belly is round.. any suggestions. He moved but the shell is attached.

 

[yinepu]

ok.. does the cord look really wet?.. if so let it dry on it's own.. keep the shell with him and let him rest away from other chicks.. keep him warm... he may or may not absorb the rest of the yolk.. hopefully he sleeps for a bit and doesn't try running around and rupture the yolk sack .. if he does rupture the yolk sack you can put some neosporin on the area and use a bandaid or some vet wrap on his belly.. absorbing it would be the better option though
when the cord is dry if it hasnt broken away on it's own you can snip it with a pair of scissors.. the main thing right now is to let him rest

later on you can offer him some gatoraid, sugar water , or electrolytes to help him get his energy back.. I just don't want him up and running around until that yolk is absorbed

 

[tia]

He is still in the incubator with the other eggs. I could go over to the school and get my other incubator and take him out and put him in that. The temp in this incubator is 98 and the humidity is way up with him just hatching. He is not moving around a lot because he has no energy. His eyes are still closed, but he is still attached... I think things look wet. I am letting him rest... but he hasn't tried to stand up just flopped around a little. Wonder why they pip like that and get shrink wrapped when they aren't ready to come out... guess cause the incubator isn't like nature. Here is a picture.

 

[tia]

I think I will go get my other incubator. I would think putting him in there with 95 degree temp and less humidity would be better for that to dry out. What would you put the humidity at???? Maybe 45 or even less????

 

[yinepu]

normally .. if everything went according to plan.. when they go through the effort of zipping they are absorbing the yolk.. BUT... when they get shrink wrapped.. they can't move around inside the egg.. so they don't absorb the yolk like they normally would..

the other incubator would be fine.. unless you have a brooder already set up.. anyplace that is warm and there are no drafts is fine and once they hatch you don't need to worry about the humidity for the ones who have already hatched.. the main thing is not letting them chill and maintaining high humidity in the incubator for the eggs which haven't hatched yet