Please help! New to hatching! Day 27 and no pips!

[Absolutely Quackers]

Day 29 & still no external pips or noise coming from the eggs.

All five eggs have been wobbling on and off.

Still don't worry - biology does it's own thing! Stick with this - it will be okay!

 

[Absolutely Quackers]

Any more signs? Is your humidity still high? Put the temp back up (I don't drop it down below 37.5 either). Until there is an internal pip, not much that you can do. If you have opened the incubator and candled, keep doing that and - as soon as you see an internal pip, make a little air hole if you are worried. I know that this is controversial - but I have done this a lot with calls as their little beaks really struggle!

 

[happy duck]

How are they doing today?

 

[bluekii]

Hello everyone & thanks so much for replying and giving advice.

The egg that we put a hole in and tore the air sac for unfortunately died the same day - we opened the shell to examine the chick, and there were no deformities, the only thing we saw was that there were two huge yolk sacs and a hell of a lot of membrane that hadn't been absorbed. It just wasn't ready to hatch yet. Lesson learnt.

Four eggs left in the incubator and the humidity isn't readable but the water pots are being kept topped up as much as possible. Temperature is at a steady 37.5°C & I candled all four eggs today. All eggs have a safety hole in them.
One egg started cheeping at me during candling and I could hear quiet cheeps as I held it next to my ear! Another egg I think has broken through the air sac, but not checked for noises yet!
The other two are moving so they are also still alive but not sure if they've internally pipped yet either. Must be trying to get through that air sac!

It's technically day 32 for me & still no hatches but I may have gotten my days and lockdown dates wrong and delayed the hatch from the low temperature.

Thoughts?

 

[Absolutely Quackers]

Hi - I know how frustrating this can be so please keep your hopes up. All of it takes LOADS longer than you think that it will. As best you can, absolutely leave them alone - I know that this is tough, but you won't be helping now. Give them more time and let them sort themselves out. Everything is as it should be in terms of humidity and heat. Just wait now and try not to keep checking and handling them - I know that this is hugely tempting but you won't be helping. Just wait it out.

 

[Pyxis]

It's technically day 32 for me & still no hatches but I may have gotten my days and lockdown dates wrong and delayed the hatch from the low temperature.

That puts them at five days overdue now (now six since it's been another day), which I'm not sure a degree lower temperature for just a couple days would cause. Out of curiosity, what date did you set them?

Had you also checked with a thermometer that you have calibrated and know is accurate that the display on your Brinsea was actually correct and that the temperature you set it to was actually the temperature that it was inside the incubator? Usually Brinsea is pretty good, but there is always the chance the display is wrong.

This is just troubleshooting stuff for the next hatch - for now, you're doing pretty much all you can for the current hatch

 

[bluekii]

That puts them at five days overdue now (now six since it's been another day), which I'm not sure a degree lower temperature for just a couple days would cause. Out of curiosity, what date did you set them?

Had you also checked with a thermometer that you have calibrated and know is accurate that the display on your Brinsea was actually correct and that the temperature you set it to was actually the temperature that it was inside the incubator? Usually Brinsea is pretty good, but there is always the chance the display is wrong.

This is just troubleshooting stuff for the next hatch - for now, you're doing pretty much all you can for the current hatch

Hello!

Stupidly, I didn't think to write down and record dates that I put them in - but it is something I am definitely going to do for future hatches.
My estimates puts it around somewhere between 24-27th March. It's really bad, I know, and that's why everything is out of whack - silly me, lesson learnt.

I've not double checked with the temperature but the manual says that the incubator comes already calibrated and set to the standard temperature for most hatches which is 37.4-37.7°C. I'll consider buying another thermometer and double checking it is correct but I will be buying a new incubator which can read humidity levels as I want to get serious with hatching ducklings and have more accurate readings and higher hatch rates.

Loooooots of chirping happening at the moment, I believe it's only from one out of the four eggs. He literally has verbal diarrhoea! They all have safety holes but there's no external pips made by the chicks yet, should I wait another 12-24 hours before I start opening the eggs and finding their beaks so they can properly breathe?

 

[bluekii]

We've got an external pip on one of the eggs!!!

 

[bluekii]

He must have started during the night! The little guy is zipping!

 

[Absolutely Quackers]

View attachment 1750700

We've got an external pip on one of the eggs!!!

Great - well done! You picked one of the hardest duck breeds to start with here so you've done a great job in getting a pip! Now - however tempting - DON'T HELP THEM! Shut the incubator and keep the humidity high - they need to get out on their own. If they can't then there is a problem with the duckling and this is nature's way of letting it slip away without suffering. If you help and get a sickly duckling out then it is highly unlikely to survive and you will be left with a heart-breaking decision as to whether to put it out of it's misery. I have learnt this the hard way. I know that you are worried but you've done everythind that you can. It can take up to 48 hours to get out of that egg now - so be patient. B