I opened the bator during lockdown...

[rossfam06]

I never sprtized because their air cells were pretty small. So I didon't want to prevent them from not losing less than normal.

 

[WVduckchick]

I never sprtized because their air cells were pretty small. So I didon't want to prevent them from not losing less than normal.

Actually Ross, believe it or not, they say that as the spritzing dries, it actually helps that. They don't stay damp for very long. I know it sounds kinda strange, but duck egg shells are so much thicker. I have a photo out of Storey's Guide that explains it. I'll have to find it.

 

[moodybubbles]

I don't know if you can see well enough or not, but it looks like some yolk remains in the shell he just kicked out of.

 

[rossfam06]

I don't know if you can see well enough or not, but it looks like some yolk remains in the shell he just kicked out of.

Well is the Ling moving around much?? What day you on?

 

[WVduckchick]

I don't know if you can see well enough or not, but it looks like some yolk remains in the shell he just kicked out of.

Congrats!

 

[WVduckchick]

I never sprtized because their air cells were pretty small. So I didon't want to prevent them from not losing less than normal.

From "the book" on spritzing:


"After considerable experimentation we have found that we get consistently higher percentage hatches by lightly spraying duck eggs once a day with lukewarm distilled or well water from the 6th to the 24th day of incubation. It may seem counterintuitive, but we have noticed that eggs that are sprayed regularly dehydrate more than unsprayed eggs."
"To prevent the egg membranes from drying out and becoming tough during the hatch, it is sometimes helpful to lightly spray or sprinkle duck eggs with warm water 48 and again 24 hours before the calculated hatching time. However, we have found that if the eggs dehydrate the proper amount throughout the incubation period, spraying during the hatch is unnecessary."

 

[moodybubbles]

This is day 27. It was moving. Now it is snoozing. I did just pull a tiny, tiny square of shell off that one, just to know the membrane was open.

There is one more pipped. Looks like 2 aren't pipped or moving.

 

[moodybubbles]

From "the book" on spritzing:


 

Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!

After considerable experimentation we have found that we get consistently higher percentage hatches by lightly spraying duck eggs once a day with lukewarm distilled or well water from the 6th to the 24th day of incubation.  It may seem counterintuitive, but we have noticed that eggs that are sprayed regularly dehydrate more than unsprayed eggs.
To prevent the egg membranes from drying out and becoming tough during the tatch, it is sometimes helpful to lightly spray or sprinkle duck eggs with warm water 48 and again 24 hours before the calculated hatching time.  However, we have found that if the eggs dehydrate the proper amount throughout the incubation period, spraying during the hatch is unnecessary.

Awesome information!

 

[rossfam06]

This is day 27. It was moving. Now it is snoozing. I did just pull a tiny, tiny square of shell off that one, just to know the membrane was open.

There is one more pipped. Looks like 2 aren't pipped or moving.

Awesome!!! I was just curious about day. So I can look forward to mine. Lol!!! Thanks!!!

 

[Ravynscroft]

Thank you!

I put warm moist paper towel around the two that had started to soften the shell? I read it somewhere this morning.

Turns out the one had started (finally) to get a bigger hole and I saw movement on both that had pipped.

Thanks!

Monitoring air cells and spritzing with water but running humidity around 30% until lockdown was also something I just read about 2 weeks into the incubation period so it was too late to start that this time.

Don't stress yourself, we gotta learn somehow... I've only spritzed later on when air cells weren't getting big enough in time...

I never sprtized because their air cells were pretty small. So I didon't want to prevent them from not losing less than normal.

Opposite effect hon... it only raises the humidity in the bator itself for a while, by the end of the day the humidity will be lower than it was before spritzing... the evaporation of water off the shell pulls more moisture out of the shell and quickens the moisture loss within the egg...

Actually Ross, believe it or not, they say that as the spritzing dries, it actually helps that.  They don't stay damp for very long.  I know it sounds kinda strange, but duck egg shells are so much thicker.  I have a photo out of Storey's Guide that explains it.  I'll have to find it. 

Yeah, what she said, lol...

I don't know if you can see well enough or not, but it looks like some yolk remains in the shell he just kicked out of.

That's not yolk, so don't worry about that... but that does show they still have too much moisture within the shell... that's the gooey, jelly type stuff that comes from too high humidity... keep an eye on the others for goo in the pip holes...

This is day 27. It was moving. Now it is snoozing. I did just pull a tiny, tiny square of shell off that one, just to know the membrane was open.

There is one more pipped. Looks like 2 aren't pipped or moving.

Ducks take their own sweet time, don't rush them... they will let you knkw when they're ready ciz they'll fight like crazy to get out... expect lots of breaks and resting... it's a tough way to come into the world, lol...

Just keep an eye on the membrane edges for drying out... they'll turn brown and look 'crispy'...

You're dokng just fine...