NEED HELP with assisted Saxony duckling hatch!!!!

[aa3655]

So I had two dozen chicken eggs, 7 midget white turkey eggs, and 6 Saxony eggs in the hova bator... On day 20, for some inexplicable reason, the bator temp went up to 105 degrees and wasn't noticed for 6-8 hours.

Clearly a disaster. It cooked everything in the bator, with the exception of three saxony eggs. Up till then my humidity was about 50-60%, temp about 99/100.

The problem is, I'm now on day 38 (really). I know I've had temperature issues but this is ridiculous.

This morning before I left for work, all three babies were squirming. When I got home just now, one of them wasn't moving so I panicked and OPENED THE EGG... Made a small hole in the air cell and saw the inner membrane had a lot of blood vessels on it and bled the tiniest bit when I put a wet q-tip on it and then THE DUCKLING MOVED so then I REALLY panicked and left everything, covered the egg with a damp paper towel and put it back in the bator.

Have I killed the duckling?!? What should I do?!? PLEASE HELP!!!

 

[aa3655]

Forgot to say that I gently painted the membrane with the boiled + cooled water before covering it with the damp paper towel.

 

[aa3655]

Duckling still moving vigorously this morning. I painted the membrane again, I think the vessels look a little less prominent. Covered the egg with a damp paper towel and closed up the incubator.

 

[Orca5094]

It's a good sign the duckling is still moving! No, you did not kill it (obviously), but it's lucky you only opened it a little in the air cell. You are doing the right thing wetting the membrane to keep it from drying out, and the damp paper towel was a good move as well I think. The danger of it being opened like that is drying membranes, so you are combating that already.

I don't know what their chances are with the temperature spike and being so late to hatch (you're really really sure it's been 38 days??), but the fact they are still alive and moving means there's hope!

Sorry I don't really have any further advice for you, but please keep us updated on what happens, ok?

 

[aa3655]

Unfortunately they died in the shell, all three. It looked as though they hadn't turned, they were facing the pointy end of the egg. I'm so discouraged!

Just put another six in lockdown... kept temp and humidity constant the whole four weeks. I don't know how often I can candle them. It's nerve-racking. Should I check? Should I leave them alone?

 

[Amykins]

Oh hun, I'm so sorry...I know how heartbreaking it is to lose babies in the shell. :/ It seems odd that all three failed to turn, though. Did something happen during incubation? Were they lying flat, or did you have them propped upright?

 

[Orca5094]

So sorry you lost that first batch.

Good luck with these next ones! If they are in lockdown, no more candling. Just be patient and they should make an appearance soon. ^-^

 

[aa3655]

Follow up to my prior posts... it was definitely the incubation conditions. I've really been struggling to keep things stable in the styrofoam incubator - and not succeeding very well.

Last week my husband surprised me with a Brinsea and since then all of the singlets I've managed to coax along in the hovabator have hatched once I moved them over.

Tomorrow is hatch day for five (!) Saxony babies and two have already internally pipped and are cheeping! OMG I love my Brinsea!!!

 

[Orca5094]

That's great! So glad you were able to get a better incubator. It really does make a difference.

 

[aa3655]

It's so encouraging to see 5/5 babies actually hatch! I know it's commonplace for a lot of people but I'm so excited! I literally had no luck with the Styrofoam incubator.