Incubating - one egg not dehydrating - help!

[Duck Hill]

I am incubating duck eggs, multistage in a Hovabator incubator. Everything is going well and all fertile eggs are growing well. Tomorrow is 21 days for five of my eggs.

I draw pencil lines weekly at the edge of the air space. I do so while holding a flashlight to the egg so I can see the exact place where the edge of the air space is. I have drawn the original air space (quite small), the one week and the two week air spaces. I see the space growing throughout the week and I mark it on Saturday.

ONE egg has not dehydrated at all for a whole week. All the other eggs in the incubator were dehydrating fine except for that ONE egg. A few days ago I dropped the humidity level from about 65% to about 55% just to help that one egg. All the other eggs are dehydrating faster than before and show greater growth in their air space (within good norms). But that one egg still isn't dehydrating at all! The edge of the air cell is exactly where it was a week ago. Not almost the same place, exactly the same place.

During weeks 1 and 2 this egg dehydrated slightly less than the others, but not dramatically so.

Now, during week 3 it has just quit dehydrating completely. The air space is staying exactly where it was last Saturday and it's been a whole week. All the other eggs show an air space that has grown considerably.

The egg does contain a live duckling that moves around normally, the same as the other ducklings. I candle each day and all ducklings in the five eggs move around and are active when candled. Except for the tiny air space that is way too small for 21 days, the egg looks completely normal.

I have tried washing the egg several times in tap water to try to increase the porosity of the shell. I have been afraid to try soap or bleach, so as to not hurt the duckling, but I am really worried as tomorrow is day 21 and this one egg has almost no airspace compared to the other eggs. Only one week left and there isn't enough air space for this duckling.

What should I do? I can drop the humidity a bit more, but I'm not sure that would help. The air space has not grown AT ALL during the past week.

Any ideas? Help!

 

[Amiga]

I am not a hatcher, but I have read ducklings can shrink wrap with too low humidity. I cannot tag from this device, so try tagging Lacrystol, Orca5094 sumi

And try Miss Lydia - she can maybe think of some more hatchers.

There are also some duck hatching threads to try posting to.

 

[Amiga]

See if you can get help posting here

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/1051996/first-duck-hatch-please-help-me-sit-on-my-hands

 

[Kroelies]

I hatched my ducklings with a humidity of 45-50% so you could try lowering the humidity even more. My ducks pipped one day early and I went into lockdown from then. Washing is something you shouldn't do with duck eggs although I don't know if plain water is harmfull too. Was the egg dirty? Do you let the eggs air outside the incubator every day?

I'll try to summon @Lacrystol @Orca5094 @sumi & @Miss Lydia like @Amiga suggested The codes for tagging are showing up on my screen as {@}username{/@} but with [ ] instread of { }

 

[Miss Lydia]

I wonder if @caesargirl is on this morning she uses an incubator I wish I could help more.

 

[caesargirl]

I'd agree to lowering your humidity. What are your stats? Humidity and temp?

 

[caesargirl]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...rly-march-2016-hatch-a-long/240#post_16609157

Here's a thread of people in the middle of hatching now....

 

[Lacrystol]

I am incubating duck eggs, multistage in a Hovabator incubator.  Everything is going well and all fertile eggs are growing well.  Tomorrow is 21 days for five of my eggs.

I draw pencil lines weekly at the edge of the air space.  I do so while holding a flashlight to the egg so I can see the exact place where the edge of the air space is.  I have drawn the original air space (quite small), the one week and the two week air spaces.  I see the space growing throughout the week and I mark it on Saturday.  

ONE egg has not dehydrated at all for a whole week.  All the other eggs in the incubator were dehydrating fine except for that ONE egg.  A few days ago I dropped the humidity level from about 65% to about 55% just to help that one egg.  All the other eggs are dehydrating faster than before and show greater growth in their air space (within good norms).  But that one egg still isn't dehydrating at all!  The edge of the air cell is exactly where it was a week ago.   Not almost the same place, exactly the same place.

During weeks 1 and 2 this egg dehydrated slightly less than the others, but not dramatically so. 

Now, during week 3 it has just quit dehydrating completely.  The air space is staying exactly where it was last Saturday and it's been a whole week.  All the other eggs show an air space that has grown considerably.

The egg does contain a live duckling that moves around normally, the same as the other ducklings.  I candle each day and all ducklings in the five eggs move around and are active when candled.  Except for the tiny air space that is way too small for 21 days, the egg looks completely normal.

I have tried washing the egg several times in tap water to try to increase the porosity of the shell.  I have been afraid to try soap or bleach, so as to not hurt the duckling, but I am really worried as tomorrow is day 21 and this one egg has almost no airspace compared to the other eggs.  Only one week left and there isn't enough air space for this duckling.  

What should I do?  I can drop the humidity a bit more, but I'm not sure that would help.  The air space has not grown AT ALL during the past week.

Any ideas?  Help!

Washing the egg may have not been the best decision. Can you please candle the opposite end and tell me if you see any empty spacing.

 

[Lacrystol]

When you say dehydrated I'm assuming you mean Dipping? Dipping is when the air cell falls to one side this occurs three days before hatching day. If the air cell hasn't dipped chances are they aren't shrink wrapped but something else could be happening perhaps sticky baby. I'll know more once you confirm the candling of the smaller end of the egg.

 

[casportpony]

@Duck Hill, can you mark the air cells of the eggs with a pencil and post pictures of them so we can see how big or small the air cells are? I don't incubate as many eggs as other people here do, but I'm thinking that even 55% is to high.

-Kathy