Incubating Duck eggs 2 air pockets (please help)

Potato Queenz

Chirping
Sep 28, 2020
71
134
60
My 3 DUCK eggs are on day 22, they’re still moving around but I’ve come to realize that there is not just the normal air pocket at the top and also another one at the bottom. I’ve done some looking around, is this because I didn’t turn the eggs far enough (I have to rotate them by hand) I believe I did it more at a 50-60 degree angle, if I angle them down more 30-40 ish, will this fix this issue and give them a bigger chance of survival?
Each on of these pictures has the air bubble that’s not supposed to be there first (7:21 sept. 28 they are all still alive though)
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43038EA6-B1EA-4883-9383-DD2783F410C3.jpeg
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10895008-DC77-4CCC-9DF7-C1D9A4009ADF.jpeg
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I don't think there's any way of fixing it at this point. The air cells will be fixed in place. Most babies that pip at the wrong end (which could happen with yours depending on which air cell the ducklings decide to align themselves with) can hatch on their own, but just keep an eye on them. Candle when you think they have pipped internally to see how they are positioned because if you are hatching with the egg 'upright' that could change how you place them. Remember, ducks take forever to hatch - up to 48 hours from external pip, so don't rush them.

Proper egg turning is very important and even if an egg has a detached air cell I still lie it on its side and turn it from one side to its other as often as I remember to (I hand turn). This article explains the reason proper egg turning is so important:
https://www.thepoultrysite.com/articles/the-biology-behind-egg-turning

Let me know how you get on. :fl
 
I don't think there's any way of fixing it at this point. The air cells will be fixed in place. Most babies that pip at the wrong end (which could happen with yours depending on which air cell the ducklings decide to align themselves with) can hatch on their own, but just keep an eye on them. Candle when you think they have pipped internally to see how they are positioned because if you are hatching with the egg 'upright' that could change how you place them. Remember, ducks take forever to hatch - up to 48 hours from external pip, so don't rush them.

Proper egg turning is very important and even if an egg has a detached air cell I still lie it on its side and turn it from one side to its other as often as I remember to (I hand turn). This article explains the reason proper egg turning is so important:
https://www.thepoultrysite.com/articles/the-biology-behind-egg-turning

Let me know how you get on. :fl
Thank you for the response :) So there’s a chance they could hatch normally, but most likely not to much hope should be placed into it.. :thI will candle them later tonight and see if they are all still moving. I hope at least one makes it because one of my ducks babies made it all the way to piping then died. Tragic really. I’ll see if maybe I can help it by turning it more I guess- hopefully they’ll have some amount of survival. And yes I’ll keep you updated, thanks again
 
Thank you for the response :) So there’s a chance they could hatch normally, but most likely not to much hope should be placed into it.. :thI will candle them later tonight and see if they are all still moving. I hope at least one makes it because one of my ducks babies made it all the way to piping then died. Tragic really. I’ll see if maybe I can help it by turning it more I guess- hopefully they’ll have some amount of survival. And yes I’ll keep you updated, thanks again

It's gutting when they make it that far and then you lose them. :hugs The first chicken eggs I incubated only one made it to lockdown, but it was malpositioned with its head between its thighs so it had no hope of pipping. They were shipped eggs and that really seems to mess with them.

Your ducklings may hatch normally, even if they decide to pip at the narrow end of the egg, but you'll just have to wait and see how it all pans out. If they do pip at the narrow end they may pip straight out rather than pipping into the air cell and that adds more time onto the process as the time they would have spent internally pipped is now an external pip. So if they do decide that's the way they are going to go it could take up to 72 hours from that first pip.

The hatching part is always filled with anxiety. There are some good articles about assisted hatching in the Articles section which you could read up on just in case and this is an excellent thread in the Goose forum, but the information applies to all incubated eggs: https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/goose-incubation-hatching-guide-completed.491013/
 
It's gutting when they make it that far and then you lose them. :hugs The first chicken eggs I incubated only one made it to lockdown, but it was malpositioned with its head between its thighs so it had no hope of pipping. They were shipped eggs and that really seems to mess with them.

Your ducklings may hatch normally, even if they decide to pip at the narrow end of the egg, but you'll just have to wait and see how it all pans out. If they do pip at the narrow end they may pip straight out rather than pipping into the air cell and that adds more time onto the process as the time they would have spent internally pipped is now an external pip. So if they do decide that's the way they are going to go it could take up to 72 hours from that first pip.

The hatching part is always filled with anxiety. There are some good articles about assisted hatching in the Articles section which you could read up on just in case and this is an excellent thread in the Goose forum, but the information applies to all incubated eggs: https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/goose-incubation-hatching-guide-completed.491013/
Lovely article, thanks. I’m not sure if you know- but my last duck that almost hatched, starting piping on the side of the egg could that have led to some of the issues. And now doing more research it also had the yolk not fully inside which was also and issue. But do you happen to know if side pippin is also an issue?
 
Lovely article, thanks. I’m not sure if you know- but my last duck that almost hatched, starting piping on the side of the egg could that have led to some of the issues. And now doing more research it also had the yolk not fully inside which was also and issue. But do you happen to know if side pippin is also an issue?
I don't think there's any way of fixing it at this point. The air cells will be fixed in place. Most babies that pip at the wrong end (which could happen with yours depending on which air cell the ducklings decide to align themselves with) can hatch on their own, but just keep an eye on them. Candle when you think they have pipped internally to see how they are positioned because if you are hatching with the egg 'upright' that could change how you place them. Remember, ducks take forever to hatch - up to 48 hours from external pip, so don't rush them.

Proper egg turning is very important and even if an egg has a detached air cell I still lie it on its side and turn it from one side to its other as often as I remember to (I hand turn). This article explains the reason proper egg turning is so important:
https://www.thepoultrysite.com/articles/the-biology-behind-egg-turning

Let me know how you get on. :fl
I editing my original post with how each egg looks Incase you wanted to see
 
Lovely article, thanks. I’m not sure if you know- but my last duck that almost hatched, starting piping on the side of the egg could that have led to some of the issues. And now doing more research it also had the yolk not fully inside which was also and issue. But do you happen to know if side pippin is also an issue?

Do you mean it pipped on the side with the higher end of the air cell? That's one malposition that can happen. Were they shipped eggs? Malpositions seem to happen frequently with shipped eggs.
 
Do you mean it pipped on the side with the higher end of the air cell? That's one malposition that can happen. Were they shipped eggs? Malpositions seem to happen frequently with shipped eggs.
No it was actually one of my khaki campells eggs (mixed with my blue, beautiful baby, too bad it didn’t make it) but as you can see in the picture it’s actually in the side of the egg
E163A88B-79C9-4BA4-9E2B-BB0067B7E837.jpeg
 

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