PLEASE HELP! assisting in hatching call duck eggs.

[Conan]

i opened most of it up, he had absorbed most the veins but not the yolk - how much sooner do you think i should intervene (for next time)?
also - thanks so much for your help

Sorry about your little one. They aren't an easy critter to hatch, but you'll get great at it eventually!

Right when you lockdown, give that egg a listen. I've had them pip internally on day 23, and others on day 26. I check every 12 hours after lockdown. That way, you get a feel for the timing. I do not poke an air hole until about 18 hours after pip. If you're worried, though, it can't hurt.

I really recommend reading that article. I did read it 5 times! Immensely helpful.

 

[HannahDolding]

Sorry about your little one. They aren't an easy critter to hatch, but you'll get great at it eventually!

Right when you lockdown, give that egg a listen. I've had them pip internally on day 23, and others on day 26. I check every 12 hours after lockdown. That way, you get a feel for the timing. I do not poke an air hole until about 18 hours after pip. If you're worried, though, it can't hurt.

I really recommend reading that article. I did read it 5 times! Immensely helpful.

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

 

[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/

 

[Conan]

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/

Awesome thread!

 

[HannahDolding]

Great!
Do you have more eggs to set?

Yeah I think so, I'll start again as soon as I can!

 

[HannahDolding]

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/

Thank you, ill make sure I read it

 

[paloozaparty]

Any updates??? I'm on my 4th attempt to hatch chicks--and, last attempt left only one live chick that started off on its hatch day by chirping right back at us each time we chirped at it--EXHILARATING, and rocking back and forth--like in sync with a heartbeat (like you asked previously)--I asked the same thing out loud (no one answered me in my kitchen) "Is that consistent rocking back and forth a sign of heart beating / heavy breathing each heart beat OR distress???" After 2 hours, it stopped moving and chirping. AHHHH WHAT TO DO? I again googled what to do--and, broke down and safety pinned a hole after 2 hours, to see CLEARLY that there was NO movement or heartbeat inside the egg either, so I gently and very cautiously continued to pick away the eggshell from the airhole, and around to the tip--to find that the poor little thing had been breech/upside down inside the shell. Devastating, is all I can say to describe this scenario. I've read all over to NOT assist, to WAIT for 24 hours before worrying too much... I'm a VERY cautious and rule-following type person--but, I swore after this particular experience, that: if I can hear chirping, this means that the chick made it / pipped into the aircell, and that I will NOT feel guilty to add a safety hole if my gut suggests--especially if I cannot see into the egg, or that I cannot see movement (I was SURE that the movement I was seeing was of distress vs. normal hatching movement). If I then make a safety hole and can see movement or beak or breathing, then I'll put it back into 'bator and maybe consider helping a little bit more along the way if it seems needed (as long as not to pierce blood-vessel layer). I learned to trust my instincts after following the traditional rules--because I regret that I could have saved it's life--or, I'd feel less guilty if I'd have tried to help sooner. Anyway, I hope this worked out for you--please post update and pics if applicable!

 

[Conan]

Here is another super helpful, and more relevant article. My apologies, I thought I was linking this one!
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/guide-to-assisted-hatching-for-all-poultry.72886/

 

[Doodaddles]

I hatched a few batches of Muscovy's this year and nearly all had to have a tiny safety hole. They did not externally pip on average until 72hrs after internally piping. All of the eggs that had a safety holes ended up hatching, except for one. The chick in that egg was in the wrong position and looked somewhat malformed. Some of mine started rocking a week or so before they actually hatched and others almost never moved. It can truly be very nerve wracking.