questions about helping with a hatch...

[LaGeniaLoca]

This is my first time hatching ducks. I have 6 ancona eggs at 26 days. They've been rocking for 24 hours, give or take. How much time should I give them before trying to help? I'm noticing on a few of them that they are getting "darker" spots where the air cell is. Is that where they are scraping on the inside of the shell and it's getting thinner?

 

[LaGeniaLoca]

Seriously? Nobody? I'm going through the Thread Formerly Known as Hatch Day is Today, but there's over a thousand pages!!! Does anybody have any words of wisdom for me?? Please??

 

[CelticOaksFarm]

What kind of incubator
What was your temp during incubation?
What was your humidity during incubation?
What is your current temp?
What is your current humidity?

Have you been hand turning or in a turner?
Are the eggs laying down or standing up now?

 

[DaffyDuck98]

Hi,

I have hatched a batch of eggs. This is completly normal. Leave them go for another 24 hours. Your doing good. hang in there hun!

Daffy

 

[nurse_turtle]

The shadows you see in the air cell is the chick's beak moving about. It has most likely internally pipped which means the chick has pipped through the inner membrane and when the oxygen level gets low, strong muscle contractions help the chick to pip through the shell. Your duck is almost ready to pip. The time it takes varies greatly, from internal to external pip but I would expect a pip by morning. Be ready to proceed with lockdown and bump the humidity up. You're very close.....

 

[LaGeniaLoca]

What kind of incubator - Hova-Bator 1602N
What was your temp during incubation - 100 +/- 1 degree
What was your humidity during incubation - 50-55 range
What is your current temp - 99.5
What is your current humidity - 65
Hand turning or in an auto turner - hand turned first 2 weeks, then a turner
Are they laying down or standing up now - laying down
So, what's the prognosis?

 

[Iain Utah]

Do you have a steth? You can place it on bator window. If they have internally pipped, you will hear a clicking sound that is not loud enough to hear otherwise.

Dark spots... on the outside of shell like staining... or a weird shadowing darkness that you are seeing through the egg?

FYI, my eggs start rocking about 7 days before hatching as they are turning into hatching position. Then, for internal (and external) it is more of a distinct vibration held for a long pause, followed by a sharp rocking motion. It takes my eggs an average of 24-30 hours between internal and external pipping. Then another 24 hours or so to hatch.

 

[QuackerJackFarms]

Sounds like you've got everything set where it needs to be. Duckies can take a long time. Not like quick little zipping chickens. Keep us posted!

 

[Ilovemyduckies]

They usually do not even start hatching until day 28. When it is day 31, and they still are not finished hatching, then I would say you could help them.

 

[LaGeniaLoca]

They have all been internally pipped for 2 days, but only one of them is rocking this morning. They are on day 27 now. I read that a lot of people keep the humidity as high as 80, so I bumped it up. It's a steady 75 now. Is that good or bad? Still no pips...