pip on day 25 for Pekin duck! help!

[chkinut]

i posted this on the Hatching Eggs forum, but maybe this is a better place....anyone have experience with this?

hey guys....i've never hatched duck eggs before, i was just checking out the Pekin duck eggs that i have. i was planning on putting them in lockdown tomorrow and just a few minutes ago i was staring at them and wondering WHY i was staring....telling myself nothing will be happening till Friday....when lo' and behold i saw a pip!!! how shocking!! thank goodness i upped the humidity earlier today to about 68%....but i was still turning them. now i feel like i can't open the bator to prepare them for hatching. i was gonna secure them in a couple dish rags in rows so that they wouldn't roll all around like crazy once the lil' ones started hatching. well, now i just have to let it all be. i was wondering why one pipped so darn early? arnt they suppose to hatch on day 28? today is day 25!!! the temps and humidity have been the same as i do for my chicken eggs. 100 F with a 45% humidity. i read online in quite a few places that duck eggs require the same temp and humidity as chicken eggs. when i candled them a couple days ago, some of the air cells took up about 1/4th of the egg, maybe a tad more than a 1/4th....others were a bit smaller. what do u guys think? also, should i worry about the eggs rolling around like crazy once the hatching starts?? After this one duckling hatches, should i take it out and THEN put the other eggs into lockdown? or just leave it in the bator to play soccer with the other eggs?

 

[4-H chicken mom]

First, early hatches usually happen because of higher temps. Secondly, duck eggs require a higher humidity during lockdown, around 75-80%. I would not worry about the eggs rolling around from the duckling. I feel it gives the others incentive to hatch out. Good luck.

Edited to add: The temp during hatching is suppose to be dropped to 98.5 degrees. I have two homemade bators, I use one to incubate and one to hatch duck eggs.

 

[The Duck ABC's]

Lockdown either starts when you calender tells you it is right or when they start to pip. One day is not a big issue. Remember ducks will need about 2 days from pip to hatch. So you are not completely off, and there is always one egg that is in a rush. Humidity needs to be way up 80-85%, and temp should be down to 97-98 for hatching. The air sack is of concern, because it is small. I assume you never misted the eggs with water. Small air sacks can cause drowning. In any case you can open the incubator now and increase water. This should be the last time you open it or you risk problems like shrink wrapping. Good luck with your hatch.

 

[gofasterstripe]

All my Pekin eggs last month hatched 1 and 2 days before they were ment to. They were ment to hatch on a Monday I htink it was, and they were all out and in the brooder on Saturday and Sunday. They hatch before that they were 1 day early. Im sure this next lot..I go into lockdown on Friday...will all be out early aswell.