Help! Urgent! Ants in the incubator! Updated...duckling not absorbing yolk...

[sumi]

I doubt it, but without seeing the situation myself I can't say for sure. I've actually had 3 malpositioned ducklings hatch, one of which I had to help as it was impossible for him to zip from the way he was positioned. The 2 that hatched by themselves pipped in the wrong end, but hatched out fine without help from me. They didn't have any problems absorbing the yolk sac.
You say this is a malposition, so it probably skipped the internal to external pip stage which could take 24 hours by pipping externally first. Add another 24 hours for the external pip to zip stage which gives the duckling 48 hours to absorb the yolk sac. So I'd say give him a few more hours and see what happens. It is a painfully slow process, so as long as he can breathe and doesn't seem to be in distress I'd leave him and keep an eye on the humidity so he stays moist.

 

[loopy12]

Thankyou, that does make me feel better.
His whole upper body and head are out of the shell, but he mainly lies there napping, with some twitchy movements. He doesn't peep very often and doesn't seem distressed.

I'm not 100% sure when he pipped as it was on the underside of the egg as well as being at the non air-cell end, but it was by midday yesterday. So even if it had just happened, and we count that as an internal pip, and estimate he would have pipped externally by today lunchtime, so I guess he should be good at least until tomorrow night. The other egg pipped externally this morning, so they could well be on a similar schedule in which case I'll leave him until that one is hatched and up and about before interfering again - probably tomorrow night then.

This has been a terrible hatch - temp and humidity issues in both incubators, then my turner broke and I had problems with several of the chicks I had hatch last weekend which had issues too, to these little guys with their ant invasion. I also have two goose eggs in there that I would expect to pip in the next day or so. I have done a dozen or so hatches before - hatched maybe 60 ducklings and the same number of chicks and had to help a few out, but I have never had such a catalog of issues. Sigh. Its like a deck of cards and they all keep tumbling down...would like to fast forward a week and be past the stressful bit, and yet I so love hatching. If this was my first ever hatch it would've put me off ever trying again, lol.

I wish I could take a picture, but visibility in the brinsea isn't great and the angle isn't optimal either, I have to get the flashlight just right to see inside the egg. He is so pretty though with his stripy head. I really hope he makes it.

 

[sumi]

You got it. I also think he should stay in there until tomorrow evening at least. Just make sure he doesn't get ideas about hatching too soon now that he's halfway out already. Sometimes they know when to hang on and sometimes they just want out. What you can do if he gets antsy is to put him upright in a cup or something. It sounds like he should be able to complete the hatch by himself, so long as he stays put 'till he's ready!

I'm sorry to hear you are having such a hard time

Sometimes it gets so hard with chickens and it's just depressing when things go wrong with hatches. But we keep coming back for more, hey? Next time will be better. Which Brinsea have you got? I have a Eco 20 and apart from a bit of a battle to keep the humidity high during lockdown it's been good. I'm quite happy with it.

Your little one will be o.k!

 

[loopy12]

Yes, I have an eco 20 too. I also struggle with its humidity at lockdown, no matter how many wick cloths I put in it seems to dry out and I keep having to top up with a tube and syringe. For that reason I normally use my old hovabator as a hatcher - that and the fact that if you hatching more than 8 eggs or so it looks cramped and difficult to get a visual on pips etc. Also with the hovabator, although its temperature isn't as stable, humidity stays put and I can see properly.

I bought my brinsea when we lived in the US. Because the voltage in Italy is higher I have to run it on a transformer. And transformers are erratic at the best of times, so I think this has caused my temps to keep falling short throughout. My husband has given me permission to get a new brinsea of the right voltage so I'm going to get the superduper 20 (or whatever its actually called) with humidity pump etc. I suspect I'll still want to hatch in the hovabator though. Next time I'll put it up on stilts with moats around them to prevent ants.

I think his yolk might be shrinking a bit, so fingers crossed. I'm trying not to check on him too much as the flashlight wakes him up and he starts wriggling about. Otherwise he's just sleeping, hopefully while absorbing. Only his lower third is still in the shell now, but he's still well attached as he curves around a bit. Trouble might start if the other duckling hatches (or worse, a gosling) before he does and starts standing on him etc, then he might get frisky and try and get out of the egg. I feel like I'm on thin ice timing-wise having shoved everyone in the same incubator because the geese are only 2 days behind the ducks - not a problem when they were in separate incubators, obviously, but could be a problem now.

Thanks for listening. I'll update when there's progress, or otherwise...

 

[sumi]

I ended up spreading a cloth over the bottom of my incubator, dipping it into the wells and topping it up now and then. It's the only way I could keep the humidity high enough. But I still have to watch it, as the humidity drops like a rock when the cloth dries out. One thing I do like is that I can lift the lid on one side and top it up from a bottle or a jug and the temperature and humidity doesn't get affected too much. It's also handy when I open it to grab a hatched chick to put it in the brooder.

I really hope he will be O.K. and will finish absorbing that yolk! Hatches can be nerve wrecking, even without ants! I had this problem once when broody was hatching some eggs. We had to move her and the eggs, who were busy hatching at the time, to get them away from the ants, who were all over the nest. Thank goodness the hen was calm about it and resumed sitting and hatched out the chicks in the new nest. We lost one chick, but apart from that it went well.

 

[loopy12]

When I checked at 7.30am everything with both mallard eggs was exactly as it was when I went to bed. By the time I was back from the school run an hour later he'd got out of his egg and was snuggling the other mallard egg which was unzipping.
I've taken out the eggshells and damp cloth that was around him to give them more room now. There was some blood on the cloth but I don't think he's actively bleeding now. The egg was empty - all the yolk had been absorbed. I am still worried though - he is just lying there sleeping again while the one that just unzipped and hatched is looking far more energetic. Fingers crossed that by tonight he's looking better.
He's the darker one further back. The blonde one at the front is the one who just hatched an hour ago without any issues.



I would like them both to be up and about tonight so I can move them to the brooder before my goose eggs pip...its all a bit nail biting!
Also that blonde duckie doesn't look very mallard to me, but came from an identical blue egg.

 

[Bens-Hens]

I have never hatched ducks, so I can't offer too much there except the best wishes.

I can share some info another member uses for the ants though. In particular, stopping them get to your pipped eggs.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/731675/lightbox/post/10270423/id/5484850

Simple stuff with great results.

Hat tip to Ozexpat for info and image.

 

[ramirezframing]

put sevin dust under the bottom vent holes, the ants will die as they go to and from the bator and the dust wont hurt the babies (I have put the dust in nests with broody hens, right on top of eggs and all)

 

[sumi]

When I checked at 7.30am everything with both mallard eggs was exactly as it was when I went to bed. By the time I was back from the school run an hour later he'd got out of his egg and was snuggling the other mallard egg which was unzipping.
I've taken out the eggshells and damp cloth that was around him to give them more room now. There was some blood on the cloth but I don't think he's actively bleeding now. The egg was empty - all the yolk had been absorbed. I am still worried though - he is just lying there sleeping again while the one that just unzipped and hatched is looking far more energetic. Fingers crossed that by tonight he's looking better.
He's the darker one further back. The blonde one at the front is the one who just hatched an hour ago without any issues.



I would like them both to be up and about tonight so I can move them to the brooder before my goose eggs pip...its all a bit nail biting!
Also that blonde duckie doesn't look very mallard to me, but came from an identical blue egg.

He's probably catching his breath after the difficult hatch. The duckling I assisted also spent some time just resting afterward. I hope he will perk up soon though! When you take him out of the incubator check his navel to make sure it's sealed up properly before putting him in the brooder.

 

[loopy12]

Sevin dust, excellent, thankyou, I will try and order some.

They are looking much better now - I went to get them out but found the first goose egg has pipped, so they will need to wait a while now.
Thank you so much for the hand holding through a rough hatch...