Mother duck left her nest!

[mamaduck83]

One of my buff orpingtons went broody late which I wasn’t thrilled about. I let her keep 3 eggs and two ended up being viable. She sat like a champ for about a month but then we had a cold snap and she’s left the nest. Both ducklings have pipped internally and are still in their nest inside the duck house. She seems to sit on them at night but leaves them all day now. I have a heat lamp on them in the duck house so they don’t get too cold (it’s in the 50s during the day now) but can I expect them to actually hatch now?? I don’t have an incubator... anything else I can do? I hate to lose these two darlings but I’ve never successfully hatched abandoned eggs before... the eggs are cool to the touch but the straw surrounding them is reading in the 80s.

 

[glassdragonfly]

Hi! Maybe post this to emergencies? Someone might be able to help you rig up a makeshift incubator. How long ago did they internal pip? I have two chicks now that mamma got off of and were cold,I slipped them under my silkie and they hatched that night.

 

[mamaduck83]

I think they internally pipped yesterday. I still see movement when I candled them earlier today and when I hold them to my ear I hear little scratching noises inside.

 

[mamaduck83]

UPDATE: A friend loaned me her incubator so I misted the eggs and put them in at 99.4* F....crossing fingers they hatch! They both showed movement when I candled them before I put them in!

 

[glassdragonfly]

That's great news

 

[mamaduck83]

They’ve been in the incubator for about 18 hours. Occasionally I see the eggs rocking a little but no external pip yet. Does that sound normal? I’ve never hatched in an incubator before so I’m trying to not be too worried haha but it’s tough!!

 

[glassdragonfly]

I have not hatched duck eggs so I have no idea on their timeline.Hoping they make progress soon.

 

[mamaduck83]

Both eggs have externally pipped!!

 

[glassdragonfly]

Yah!

 

[mamaduck83]

Update: after more than 48 hours they needed assistance so now both are hatched. One of the two has a red bulge protruding from its belly and attached to a little sack of gooey stuff (not yolk). The other has the sack of gooey stuff but it seems no bulge. Is this some sort of hernia? Will the duckling be ok?