help!

[mykaheden27]

This is my first time hatching duck eggs. Half rouen, half pekin. We are at day 21. I just went to rotate my eggs. And saw one egg rocking! And i checked the gg and theres kind of a rough spot on the shell, that i havent noticed before. Does this mean my egg is hatching early!?

 

[Orca5094]

Are there any tiny cracks where the rough spot is? Can you candle the egg and see if the duckling is in the air cell at the top (fat end) of the egg? Another way to check if it is indeed internally pipped and preparing to hatch is to very very gently scratch on the egg with your fingernail and hold it up to your ear. If you hear tapping or peeping coming from inside the egg, it is internally pipped and should start to hatch out in the next day or so.

Is there any way the eggs could have been incubated before you put them into your incubator? Like by a hen? Otherwise, hatching at 21 days is pretty unlikely, so it might just be moving around in there.

 

[mykaheden27]

I ordered them. So im not sure. Ill candle them tonight to check.

 

[Orca5094]

Ok, if they were shipped then they probably didn't start to incubate before you put them into your incubator. It's just when they come straight from your own birds that they can sometimes start incubating them before you're aware of it. I think it's too early for them to hatch, but stranger things have been known to happen. Sometimes if the temperature is a little too high during incubation they can hatch out a bit early.

Let us know what you see when you candle!

 

[mykaheden27]

I just candle the one that was rocking, i didnt see an internal pip. So maybe he was just moving. Scared me

 

[Orca5094]

Ok, well good to know it's not hatching early. They do bop around sometimes late in incubation. Good luck with your hatch next week!