My hatchling didn’t survive

[Mommanoe]

Yesterday at about 4 I noticed my duckling started pipping so I knew I needed to check at the 24 hour mark but mom was up so I went to look the egg was gone I found it by their pool with ants in it’s shell. It didn’t look injured other than where the ants were at. What did I do wrong this is her first egg lay. My daughter found the baby and is 3 and beside herself. I won’t lie I’m a little bummed but there is another egg I just don’t know if it’s viable? I plan to try the water test soon so we can stop her brooding if it’s for nothing.

 

[nuthatched]

The water test will likely do more harm than good. It looks like it wasn't ready to hatch yet.

 

[Mommanoe]

The water test will likely do more harm than good. It looks like it wasn't ready to hatch yet.

Even thought it hatched on its own? They will hatch on their own before they need to? Sorry it’s my first time with fertile eggs. Also Thursday will put both eggs past 28 days when would the water test be worth it? I see no movement when candling but I’m also not using the best flashlight didn’t expect fertilized eggs so I wasn’t prepared.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Can you post a picture of the egg being candled so we can see what it looks like. So sorry you lost this little one.

 

[nuthatched]

Even thought it hatched on its own? They will hatch on their own before they need to? Sorry it’s my first time with fertile eggs. Also Thursday will put both eggs past 28 days when would the water test be worth it? I see no movement when candling but I’m also not using the best flashlight didn’t expect fertilized eggs so I wasn’t prepared.

It's not unusual for hatchling to jump the gun.
I'm honestly having a hard reading your original post, can you explain exactly what has happened, how long your hen has been laying before sitting and how long she's been sitting?

 

[Miss Lydia]

If the ants were inside the egg maybe that was so uncomfortable for the duckling it began to hatch too early?

 

[Mommanoe]

It's not unusual for hatchling to jump the gun.
I'm honestly having a hard reading your original post, can you explain exactly what has happened, how long your hen has been laying before sitting and how long she's been sitting?

This is her first set of eggs. She has been sitting on them for 25-28 days nothing happened literally everything was going great duckling started pipping yesterday around 4 and today when I posted this I found the duckling dead only half way out of the egg. With no injuries.

 

[Mommanoe]

Can you post a picture of the egg being candled so we can see what it looks like. So sorry you lost this little one.

This is the last picture I took. I was candling alone most the one and didn’t have the extra hands to take pictures this was the 12th

 

[Miss Lydia]

Sure looks like life in there on the 12th. Have you candled since? by now the egg should be full of duckling and if time to hatch it won't be able to move much since it's taking up all the egg but the air cell. And the air cell should be dipped down on one side.
this shows what the egg should look like today when candled
https://www.metzerfarms.com/candling-pictures.html

 

[Mommanoe]

Sure looks like life in there on the 12th. Have you candled since? by now the egg should be full of duckling and if time to hatch it won't be able to move much since it's taking up all the egg but the air cell. And the air cell should be dipped down on one side.
this shows what the egg should look like today when candled
https://www.metzerfarms.com/candling-pictures.html

So with the one who just died I saw movement all the way to the end even when internal piping the other one was very active until the 12th but still had great veins! I candle them anytime mom is away from the nest so every day or every other day I know one was behind from the other but the closer we got towards the end I didn’t know which was which. Thank you for the link