Not so great duck hatch, have some questions

[janastasio]

Just finishing my first batch of duck eggs. Started with 13 in the bator (still air square styrofoam hovabator).
3 were unfertile, 3 stopped developing around 18 days which left 7 in the bator. Eggs were due this last Monday. First one started pipping on Monday morning and was out of shell Monday night. 3 others started pipping Tuesday morning and had another baby out sometime during the day on Tuesday ( I was at work!) 4 others started pipping, had little beaks out of holes but progressed no further than that. When I got up this morning one of those four was still alive but could tell it was weak. I tried to work the shell along his zip line and he pushed himself out with some help, but after he was out I could see where he was still attached at bottom of the shell and there was a small amount of bleeding. I put him back into the incubator and he was dead when I got home, which I expected. When I hatched out chicks for the first time I had a great hatch, but had 2 that did not resorb the "yolk" I think is what the term is. Is this what happened with these ducklings and is there something that I did that caused that to happen? I still have one egg left that hasnt done anything. I candled it and I'm seeing lots of movement and feeling tapping. I'm hoping this one makes it. I'm grateful for the two healthy babies I got, but hoping to know as much as possible so that I dont make any mistakes for next time around. Thanks for any help!
-Jaime

 

[janastasio]

Bump.... Thank you!!

 

[CityChicker]

I would say it was almost certainly the humidity. Especially when it comes to ducks, eggs lost late in incubation and/or dead-in-shell after pipping is almost always too low of humidity. Ducks need even more humidity the last few days then chicks.

 

[mythkat]

I have a still air LG and when it came time to raise the humidity I put all the eggs on a wet washcloth and kept it damp. That seemed to really help.

 

[janastasio]

Thanks for the replies. I was using a thermometer (from Walmart) that showed temp and humidity, so I'm wondering if that could have been off. My humidity was between 66-82% during the hatch. I kind of figured with so many that did the same exact thing that something must have been up. My last egg pipped and died within an hour. Did not even break the membrane on shell, just took a little shell off. I opened several of the eggs and all showed that same undevelopment yolky looking stuff at the bottom of the shell. Disappointing and of course I have guilt!