PLEASE HELP! assisting in hatching call duck eggs.

[HannahDolding]

hatching call duck eggs
I started hatching call duck eggs 24 days ago (so there's 2 days left) i heard call ducks are the hardest thing to hatch.
I've never hatched any eggs before and only one of my eggs have made it to day 24 so i'm desperate to get it right:
my egg started rocking two days ago, and yesterday i put it on lock down. i haven't noticed anything wrong so far (it hasn't internally or externally pipped yet) . is it okay to put a safety hole in anyway - could it cause shrinkwrap? also could taking it out of Lockdown be bad for it?
how should i know if its malpositioned and what can i do to help?

i'm using a Brinsea mini 2 advanced & my eggs were laid at my house (weren't shipped)

 

[Conan]

Start by reading this article. It's immensely helpful. I read it several times before hatching my calls, and it is spot on.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/guide-to-assisted-hatching-for-all-poultry.72886/

 

[Conan]

short answer, though, is not to put a safety hole until internal pip is well established.

 

[HannahDolding]

short answer, though, is not to put a safety hole until internal pip is well established.

Hey, so i took it out and put it to my ear and there was like a steady beat, do you know if that's its heart or if that's it trying to pip?
- sorry if that's a dumb question.

 

[Conan]

Hey, so i took it out and put it to my ear and there was like a steady beat, do you know if that's its heart or if that's it trying to pip?
- sorry if that's a dumb question.

Did you candle to check for internal pip? If you hear scratching, and tapping, that's usually a sign that it's pipped.

 

[Conan]

ok thanks, what should i use to chip away the shell?

Start with whatever you used to puncture the air cell, and carefully begin removing little bits. It should be clear right away if your egg is still alive.
Here is a recent hatch of mine. I had just removed the entire air cell about 24 hours after putting the safety hole in. You can see the duckling has pipped, and at this point, was still chewing away. The veins in the membrane are still a bit red. I made sure the membrane was moist, then this little guy went back in the bator.

 

[Conan]

ok, i see, what did u use to keep the membrane moist?i heard coconut oil works, so i bought some but its very thick - like butter

I use water and coconut oil, just warm the oil between your fingers to melt it so you can gently rub it on the membrane.

 

[HannahDolding]

I use water and coconut oil, just warm the oil between your fingers to melt it so you can gently rub it on the membrane.

oh ok,im going to do it, ill take a photo afterwards
im really nervous

 

[Conan]

Thank you , I'll make sure to give that article another look

Great!
Do you have more eggs to set?

 

[JaeG]

Sorry about your little duckling. I have read Call Ducks are difficult to hatch because their shortened beak often leads to them not being able to externally pip.

This is also an excellent thread to read through that, although in the Goose forum, applies to all hatching eggs. It really helped me when I was hatching Muscovy eggs because they shadow in the air cell days before internally pipping - I was getting worried that I couldn't see a beak until I read the information here.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/goose-incubation-hatching-guide-completed.491013/