Preparing to set call and pekin duck eggs! Hatch day should be March 4, 2021 if all goes well!

[FunnyfarmMidwest]

Cami’s babies have internally pipped! 3/8 so far.

 

[FunnyfarmMidwest]

Eeek! Cami has 2 external pips. I’ve got an internal pip in the incubator too. I have a quick question as well, I’m worried about Cami’s ducklings drowning in the water bowl. Is this a concern? Should I get a taller bowl they cannot reach?

 

[shawluvsbirds]

Eeek! Cami has 2 external pips. I’ve got an internal pip in the incubator too. I have a quick question as well, I’m worried about Cami’s ducklings drowning in the water bowl. Is this a concern? Should I get a taller bowl they cannot reach?

Yes you need to remove anything they could get stuck in before they are out running around. They can jump pretty high too, you'd be surprised. I usually take the water bowl away once they start to actually hatch and just replace it with a waterer similar to this one, or you can put rocks in the water bowl to make sure if the duckling does get in there it can get back out. I usually just use the waterer for the first few days though because I don't want the ducklings getting super wet anyway.

 

[FunnyfarmMidwest]

Yes you need to remove anything they could get stuck in before they are out running around. They can jump pretty high too, you'd be surprised. I usually take the water bowl away once they start to actually hatch and just replace it with a waterer similar to this one, or you can put rocks in the water bowl to make sure if the duckling does get in there it can get back out. I usually just use the waterer for the first few days though because I don't want the ducklings getting super wet anyway. View attachment 2588835

Ok thanks. I’m thinking I’m going to have to move Cami and her babies once they hatch. They are under my shelf and there are a lot of dangerous things lying around in the shed. Once the babies hatch is it ok to move all of them and her? It’s almost impossible for me to block off an area for them.

 

[FunnyfarmMidwest]

Cami was up getting a drink and dunking her head when I checked on her. Took a quick peek at her nest. The four external pips have now made multiple pips in the shell. It looks like they are starting to unzip. They are all peeping and making good progress. There are 3 eggs that look a few days behind. I will take those after the others hatch and put them in the incubator. There was a new internal pip as well!

Then there was one that quit. It hadn’t made an internal pip or external. It was a black bibbed. It was starting to smell so I removed it and did an eggtopsy. It quit a couple of days ago from the looks of it. It looked like a possible yolk sac infection but I’m not sure.

a recap:
Out of the 9:

4 external pips (starting to make multiple and unzip from the looks of it)

3 that look to be a few days behind

1 new internal pip

1 quitter that I did an eggtopsy


edit: 1 of the external pips that had started to zip has hatched!

 

[FunnyfarmMidwest]

So for the incubator babies, here’s where we’re at. We will call them eggs 1, 2, 3, and 4 for the sake of less confusion.

Egg 1:

the malposition facing towards the small end on the side of the egg. Egg 1 seems to be progressing well. It is working on absorbing. I widened its pip a bit this morning. I tried to move a piece of membrane by it’s bill but it still has active blood vessels. I’m letting it be for a while so it can absorb.

Egg 2:

internal pip that I made a safety hole for late last night. He is still yawning, chewing, and has a lot of veins left to absorb. It is still doing well. I’m leaving it be to absorb as well. It has one very large vein on the right side near the bottom. I moistened the membrane and will keep monitoring it.

Egg 3:

Shadowing and drawdown but no internal pip, bruise or anything visible. Still alive and active.

Egg 4:

Still alive and active but no internal pip, drawdown, shadowing, bruising or anything.

 

[FunnyfarmMidwest]

@shawluvsbirds , @DucksAreBest , @WVduckchick

how are you guys’s eggs coming along?

 

[Miss Lydia]

You're going to have ducklings all over the place. Congrats!!

 

[FunnyfarmMidwest]

You're going to have ducklings all over the place. Congrats!!

Thanks!! I’m so looking forward to it! This is going to be the most ducklings I’ve had at one time! I’m so excited!

I know @duluthralphie must be thrilled about all the incoming ‘lings!

 

[DucksAreBest]

@DucksAreBest how are your eggs coming along?

Today is lockdown!