I know this has been asked before and I'm sure I've even read it on here, I'm just having difficulty finding the answer. I have 2 smaller than average duck eggs in the incubator right now, they're on day 26 if I counted correctly (went in on 7/6) but one definitely looks like he's trying to be early because he's already pipped externally. I can see his tiny little black bill and bit of face every so often. I could hear a faint tapping from both eggs before I went to bed late Monday (7/29), last night I could hear Egg 1 peeping a little before I went to bed and this morning he had a hole in his shell. Egg 2, I thought was dying last night. I couldn't hear tapping and couldn't see any movement. So I was pleasantly surprised to hear Egg 2 tapping again this morning but I don't see any movement in the air cell when I shine a flashlight in so I'm not completely sure where this guy is tapping. I thought the tapping noise was from the duckling/chick tapping on the shell. Is this correct? (Again, I should know... except I'm on like day 5 of a terrible migraine so I'm not braining very well right now.) I don't hear any peeping from Egg 2, just faint tapping. And it sounds like he's taking longer breaks between tapping workouts. If he's positioned correctly and trying to break into the air cell, would I hear tapping?
I know by the calendar he should have a few more days, and maybe he's just a little slower than his brother. (All my fowl are called he/him until it's obvious that they're girls...I think it cuts down on the disappointment if I wanted girls.) At the same time, this egg looked more full than Egg 1 and they really are smaller than even a "normal" small duck egg. Actually, when I candled last Thursday, Egg 2 was so full I started to question whether or not it was really a duck egg. I thought maybe I had lost my ability to feel the difference between duck and chicken eggs after...8+ yrs.
These eggs came from a pen with Cayuga, Rouen and Khaki potential parents, only 2 drakes - a Khaki and a Cayuga. I'm not sure why the eggs are so small. (Egg in the center of the three in the attachment is one of the little eggs. The other two eggs came from the same potential parents.
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Anyway. Basically looking for reassurance that tapping for probably about 36 hrs at this point is "normal". Or, if it's not, do I make a safety hole? Not sure what a safety hole would help if he's not heading towards the air cell. If he's smaller than average, as I somewhat expect since his egg is so small, could this cause him to have more trouble hatching?
I know by the calendar he should have a few more days, and maybe he's just a little slower than his brother. (All my fowl are called he/him until it's obvious that they're girls...I think it cuts down on the disappointment if I wanted girls.) At the same time, this egg looked more full than Egg 1 and they really are smaller than even a "normal" small duck egg. Actually, when I candled last Thursday, Egg 2 was so full I started to question whether or not it was really a duck egg. I thought maybe I had lost my ability to feel the difference between duck and chicken eggs after...8+ yrs.
These eggs came from a pen with Cayuga, Rouen and Khaki potential parents, only 2 drakes - a Khaki and a Cayuga. I'm not sure why the eggs are so small. (Egg in the center of the three in the attachment is one of the little eggs. The other two eggs came from the same potential parents.
)Anyway. Basically looking for reassurance that tapping for probably about 36 hrs at this point is "normal". Or, if it's not, do I make a safety hole? Not sure what a safety hole would help if he's not heading towards the air cell. If he's smaller than average, as I somewhat expect since his egg is so small, could this cause him to have more trouble hatching?
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