I Think I Saw A Peak Of The Egg Tooth

[FunnyBunnies12]

I was candling tonight to see the progression of my babies, all doing well. But my duckling due this weekend was moving tonight and I swear I saw it poke it's egg tooth into the air sac! It looked somewhat like a rino's horn, it did that a couple of times. Didn't like the bright light I guess. But lock down/day 26 is Thursday, and seeing that made me so excited more then I already am. That can't be start of pipping can it? Not this soon!? I started incubation on Sept 12. Is that a good sign that it could break through the air sac good without worry as long as the humidity level should be where it's suppose to be during lock down?

 

[kingpincray]

we are in the same boat. I was candling before lock down tonight and I could see bills in the air sacs in half of my duck eggs. I have immediately bumped up the humidity and hope that they will be alright. I probably won't get much sleep tonight...watching like a very concerned parent...

hope yours do well.

 

[FunnyBunnies12]

I hope yours does well also. I'm suppose to go to a conference Friday night through Saturday night and I'd hate to miss out on the hatching. But as long as it hatches without problems while I'm gone I'll be happy with that. When are your eggs due?

 

[katharinad]

Is the egg rocking? If not then it is not ready yet. If it rocks then you have to go into lock down early. I do not go into lock down because I saw the bill sticking up. They do move and it is normal. Also seeing the bill up does not mean they have pipped internally. The duck has to own the entire air sack first, which they usually do when they start to rock the egg. My eggs usually start to rock the day I put them into lock down. Some even manage to pip that day, but they do need more time before they actually hatch.

 

[FenDruadin]

My experience has been that they usually pip externally within 24 hours of sticking the bill into the air sac. So I do go into lockdown as soon as I start to see that in several eggs.

But sometimes you'll see them *pushing* against the inner membrane without breaking through, and that can happen well before internal pip. When they're pushing, you'll just see something stick up a little ways and then retreat. If they've broken the membrane, the bill will stay in the air sac and not go back down again--it can't, because once the baby is breathing air, it will drown inside that membrane.

When they're all the way in the air sac, you'll see the bill sticking up like a beacon and it will stay up--and hopefully be moving around a lot too most of the time.

Good luck! It is *not* unheard of for the eggs to hatch up to two days early. A higher temp by even half a degree can cause that. Have fun!

 

[FunnyBunnies12]

Well it's in the egg turner so I have no idea if it has or not.

 

[katharinad]

You can take the turner out, if you are that close and turn the egg by hand 3 times per day until lock down. That way you see if it moves.

 

[FunnyBunnies12]

Ok, sounds great! You answered my question before I even asked. See you are already getting to know me well and what my next question is!

 

[kingpincray]

Quote:
mine are suppose to due saturday. and some of them are rocking and even chirping already..

 

[FunnyBunnies12]

Between my kids, and the humming of the motor in the incubator, I haven't been able to hear a peeping. I hope I do! That will be really reassuring.