Incubation progress of Muscovy eggs

[charlindabob]

Lol.. see.. my page on how to hatch muscovys isn't too bad after all!

so many people complain that it's impossible to hatch them.. but I think they are one of the easier species to hatch out

Yes, your directions aren't too bad after all !!....

.....lol

Tonight will be about 48 hours of internal pip for the little ones that haven't hatched. I can see (a tiny bit) and hear them via the hole that I made and they seem vigorous at this time, so I think making the hole was the right thing as so far none have died in the shell. But then again, as you have said, hatching may be somewhat slower since I made the hole. But 48 hours seems like time for intervention wouldn't you think? I think I may start gently chipping away the shell starting at the hole I made. What you say?

 

[Miss Lydia]

Awesome job!!! Congrats, and since I'm just a spectator that's all I'm saying except for watch for blood. Your doing great.

or rather they are well you all are together, gee I feel like a great Aunt of something. LOL

 

[charlindabob]

OK, it's 1450 or 2:50 PM for you non-military types (lol) and I went to my shop with tweezers, Q-tips, paper towels and some dental picks fully intent on opening these little buggers up like a can of beans, but I can't. There are still blood veins that have blood in them and although I saw each one of the 9 shell bound ducklings bill, I cannot in good conscience proceed.

I wet a tiny piece of paper towel and placed over any small enlargements of my original 1/8th inch hole to keep them from drying out. I'm not happy with the water dampened paper towel because as it dries it tends to come off. Any ideas how to seal the extra excavation to my original hole? How about mineral oil or olive oil on the paper towel bits? Baby oil.....10w30? lol. Water dries as I put it on, well almost.

I wonder how Neosporin (original ointment) would be as a non-drying way to attach a small bit of paper towel?

I put a tiny bit of food in for the three that are out and a lid with distilled water and watched one go over and take a drink. Sometimes the neatest things are so tiny that most people over look them.

Anyway, I will wait again and soon 48 hours since they internally pipped will have come and gone. Patience, that's what I need.......................

As a note: I used some of that shelf no slide rubberized (?) stuff I bought in a small roll at Wal-Mart for my bottom in the hatching tray.....DON"T DO IT. I have covered it with a small towel as that shelf stuff (you can see it under my eggs picture, it's green) is definitely non slicky (new word) which would help prevent splayed legs, but they get their toenails caught in it and struggle.

 

[Miss Lydia]

OK, it's 1450 or 2:50 PM for you non-military types (lol) and I went to my shop with tweezers, Q-tips, paper towels and some dental picks fully intent on opening these little buggers up like a can of beans, but I can't. There are still blood veins that have blood in them and although I saw each one of the 9 shell bound ducklings bill, I cannot in good conscience proceed.

I wet a tiny piece of paper towel and placed over any small enlargements of my original 1/8th inch hole to keep them from drying out. I'm not happy with the water dampened paper towel because as it dries it tends to come off. Any ideas how to seal the extra excavation to my original hole? How about mineral oil or olive oil on the paper towel bits? Baby oil.....10w30? lol. Water dries as I put it on, well almost.

I put a tiny bit of food in for the three that are out and a lid with distilled water and watched one go over and take a drink. Sometimes the neatest things are so tiny that most people over look them.

Anyway, I will wait again and soon 48 hours since they internally pipped will have come and gone. Patience, that's what I need.......................

Well you sure don't want to help yet as for keeping the membrane from drying I used a spray bottle and warm water but I only was working with one egg, but at one point the lil duckling open it's mouth and drank some of the water when I sprayed it was so neat. Wish I could help more.

That's amazing they are already eating and drinking so soon.

 

[charlindabob]

Well you sure don't want to help yet as for keeping the membrane from drying I used a spray bottle and warm water but I only was working with one egg, but at one point the lil duckling open it's mouth and drank some of the water when I sprayed it was so neat. Wish I could help more.

That's amazing they are already eating and drinking so soon.

Thank Miss Lydia and you're right, it was neat to see the duckling take his first drink. You keep your fingers AND toes crossed, ok?!

 

[Miss Lydia]

Thank Miss Lydia and you're right, it was neat to see the duckling take his first drink. You keep your fingers AND toes crossed, ok?!

I am!

 

[yinepu]

Quote:
You're just going to have to watch how they are doing (weak ducklings) and watch for blood.. like I said making a hole in the shell will slow them down a bit.. but it's not necessarily a bad thing.. so just observe.. go slow.. watch the veins and how active they are and take it from there

 

[yinepu]

OK, it's 1450 or 2:50 PM for you non-military types (lol) and I went to my shop with tweezers, Q-tips, paper towels and some dental picks fully intent on opening these little buggers up like a can of beans, but I can't. There are still blood veins that have blood in them and although I saw each one of the 9 shell bound ducklings bill, I cannot in good conscience proceed.

I wet a tiny piece of paper towel and placed over any small enlargements of my original 1/8th inch hole to keep them from drying out. I'm not happy with the water dampened paper towel because as it dries it tends to come off. Any ideas how to seal the extra excavation to my original hole? How about mineral oil or olive oil on the paper towel bits? Baby oil.....10w30? lol. Water dries as I put it on, well almost.

I wonder how Neosporin (original ointment) would be as a non-drying way to attach a small bit of paper towel?

I put a tiny bit of food in for the three that are out and a lid with distilled water and watched one go over and take a drink. Sometimes the neatest things are so tiny that most people over look them.

Anyway, I will wait again and soon 48 hours since they internally pipped will have come and gone. Patience, that's what I need.......................

As a note: I used some of that shelf no slide rubberized (?) stuff I bought in a small roll at Wal-Mart for my bottom in the hatching tray.....DON"T DO IT. I have covered it with a small towel as that shelf stuff (you can see it under my eggs picture, it's green) is definitely non slicky (new word) which would help prevent splayed legs, but they get their toenails caught in it and struggle.

simple answer.. a bandaid.. yup.. a real one that you would use on a cut or scratch.. wet the pad.. cut the adhesive part back a good bit and use the pad part over the opening.. it will still "breathe" but will help block the hole down a bit to keep things from drying out... I tend to use the bandaid for any large holes I make and use paper towels for smaller ones..

 

[charlindabob]

DOA............

OK, around 1800 hours I checked again and I have a DOA and the reason it is dead is that it DRIED up and suffocated altho it was externally pipped a bit.

Now, I have 5 already hatched and fluffy and one just hatched 15 minutes ago (that makes six) and several more that I opened a good bit (about a quarter of the shell chipped away) and one problem child. As it stands right now, I have lost two out of 14 eggs and stand to lose more if I don't keep on top of it.

A couple still have blood veins and I stopped chipping away and a few others seemed sort of ok to me and I still stopped about a quarter of the way. They are in the bottom hatching tray in the incubator and they will and do dry out if I don't moisten them about every 15-20 minutes. What a PITA situation I am in right now!!

Good thing I'm retired and have no where to go and nothing pressing as this has now became a bedside vigil for me. I HAVE to stay with them or I will definitely lose more due to drying out. But in my mind I had no choice since one had died in the shell already and it was ****** if you do and ****** if you don't. What a place to be, between a rock and a hard spot.

Now, the only one that HAD NOT PIPPED, I opened up the shell as far as the air sac and no further. It is moving, but no internal pip and I don't know where its head is. I am keeping everything moist by gently misting with warm distilled water ever 15 minutes which mean I have to go soon. Any ideas on this one? I'm afraid to tear the membrane past the air sac, but I'm also worried that the head may be at the other end or something like one of Dianne88's eggs. Surely this one SHOULD have at least internally pipped as all the others did so long long ago.

Ok, got to go. I came in to eat very quickly and my allotted time away from them is already passed.

 

[Miss Lydia]

DOA............

OK, around 1800 hours I checked again and I have a DOA and the reason it is dead is that it DRIED up and suffocated altho it was externally pipped a bit.

Now, I have 5 already hatched and fluffy and one just hatched 15 minutes ago (that makes six) and several more that I opened a good bit (about a quarter of the shell chipped away) and one problem child. As it stands right now, I have lost two out of 14 eggs and stand to lose more if I don't keep on top of it.

A couple still have blood veins and I stopped chipping away and a few others seemed sort of ok to me and I still stopped about a quarter of the way. They are in the bottom hatching tray in the incubator and they will and do dry out if I don't moisten them about every 15-20 minutes. What a PITA situation I am in right now!!

Good thing I'm retired and have no where to go and nothing pressing as this has now became a bedside vigil for me. I HAVE to stay with them or I will definitely lose more due to drying out. But in my mind I had no choice since one had died in the shell already and it was ****** if you do and ****** if you don't. What a place to be, between a rock and a hard spot.

Now, the only one that HAD NOT PIPPED, I opened up the shell as far as the air sac and no further. It is moving, but no internal pip and I don't know where its head is. I am keeping everything moist by gently misting with warm distilled water ever 15 minutes which mean I have to go soon. Any ideas on this one? I'm afraid to tear the membrane past the air sac, but I'm also worried that the head may be at the other end or something like one of Dianne88's eggs. Surely this one SHOULD have at least internally pipped as all the others did so long long ago.

Ok, got to go. I came in to eat very quickly and my allotted time away from them is already passed.

I'm thinking once you get the membrane pulled away enough for them to breathe they should be able to get out on their own right? pulling away the membrane and shell till you see blood then stopping or are you not that far yet? If you candle can you see the one ducklings bill? [the one that hasn't internally pipped yet] if you can see the bill then you'll know where he is in the shell. When I had to intervene thank goodness I never saw blood,she was just so stuck in the membrane she couldn't get out. So sorry for the loss of this lil one that died