How long do I wait

[Poultry mum]

It’s hard to know how and when to assist them
I learned a lot my first batch and had a member on here helping me after I lost the first one helping to much to soon
Now if they do need assistance I’m very confident and don’t loose them
Patience is what I learned
Once they have a beak by the hole to breath they really need ti be left alone to absorb 24-48 hours after external pip
The more we open the egg the greater the risk to the baby while absorbing
When babies hatch themselves they make a small crack externally then 8-12 hours later another small crack close or beside the first one.
Then nothing till they are ready to start zipping. This keeps them safe from Bactria and air getting to the yolk
When we help we make a hole and that allows stuff into the egg
I try to do as little as possible for a good 24 hours after external pip
My fingers are crossed for your next hatch
With the Brody mom she can come off longer then 2-3 mins
My duck would be off 10-15 mins at a time and she would jump in the kid pool and wet her tummy
Eat. Drink . Poo and preen
But my duck had a blocked off area with access to her feed and water 24/7 and twice a day I would open the gate and she would run out to the kid pool
With that being said here is another question about your incubation
We’re you taking the eggs out once a day for 5-10 mins to cool to room temp and spritzing them lightly with water ? I start this day 10 till lockdown as this helps to soften then shell for hatch. It also mimics mom getting wet and laying back on her eggs
I have very high hatch rates and only use a little giant incubator nothing expensive or fancy but follow a certain way and it’s been very good including many 100 % hatches even with 2 schools using my set up and my way of incubating with zero experience in hatching anything they got 100 % hatches
I also hand turn my eggs 3-5 times per day and candle everyday
I’m very hands on with my eggs during incubation
I also follow the babies not the rule of day 25 if lockdown needs to start a day early or a day late then I go with baby
Shadowing , rocking egg , air cell drop all tell me stop turning and leave the egg alone
Hope these tips help you for next time

Thanks I’ve never had an issue with hatching and loosing before last season all up I managed 3 ducklings… I think I’m all honesty it’s the genes and the cheap incubators that I use… I’ll see how things go with hatching the natural way.

In saying that I don’t really try hatching ducklings as I tend to want to keep them more than chicks which seem to sell rather quickly… which is what I try to focus my hatching attention on…

 

[BelovedBirds]

Thanks I’ve never had an issue with hatching and loosing before last season all up I managed 3 ducklings… I think I’m all honesty it’s the genes and the cheap incubators that I use… I’ll see how things go with hatching the natural way.

In saying that I don’t really try hatching ducklings as I tend to want to keep them more than chicks which seem to sell rather quickly… which is what I try to focus my hatching attention on…

thats fair, the losses are hard and they can be really discouraging. I personally think doing it the natural way is better, but I guess its down to personal preference.
But this duckling in particular seemed to pass away for other reasons (bacteria and rupturing her yolk sac). That isn't something that the incubator can be blamed for. Im all for assisting hatches, but I do disagree with the advice that your friend gave. No disrespect.
Ducklings take a long time to hatch.