Should I be worried about my hatching eggs- 3 ducklings

[X3Jack930]

I posted everyone’s internal pips, external pips and hatch date and times so hopefully this information can be useful to someone in the future. They can read the dates and times of each duckling and see every variation between the internal pips, external pips and hatch times for each individual duck. No duckling was the same and every duckling that internally or externally pipped first may not have hatched in order of internal or external pip and so on. I thought it would be a nice guide for someone to see first hand that “normal” does vary BIG time and it’s okay if a duckling goes slightly past 24 hours of internal pip to external pip. As you can see at exactly 24 hours I got worried about one of my initial first internal pippers “safety hole” and added a safety hole- which I will never know if it was needed or not? But- she’s here, she made it and it’s also nice to see that she was the first Hatcher all by herself although she was a later external pipper! Again- hope this helps anyone out there!

Thank you everyone again for all of your kind words, continued emotional support, helpful tips and memories I couldn’t have done it without ALL of YOU! Thank you BYC - couldn’t have been possible without this awesome site!

 

[X3Jack930]

@JaeG How’s everyone doing?! And.. how are YOU doing?!

 

[JaeG]

@JaeG How’s everyone doing?! And.. how are YOU doing?!

The baby chicks were settled overnight so we got a good nights sleep.

I was worried about doing some vacuuming around the ducklings but they couldn't have cared less. They were all sitting away from the heat lamp so I've turned it off for awhile because it is pretty hot here today.

They are so adorable. I've put them on straw and they have nibbled at it. I was a bit concerned because I've read other people say their ducklings ate the straw but so far, so good here. I can tell one of the blues apart because it's darker and has a little yellow spot on one side of its head, but the other two are pretty identical. I'm still trying to get them to eat out of a bowl, but they'd rather be hand fed thanks very much.

I think this is a photo of each of the blues.




And these are the two black ones. I love the one with the 'eyelashes' as my daughter calls its marks around its eyes. That's the one I had to help (a lot).



Any sign of life with your last egg?

 

[FunnyfarmMidwest]

The baby chicks were settled overnight so we got a good nights sleep.

I was worried about doing some vacuuming around the ducklings but they couldn't have cared less. They were all sitting away from the heat lamp so I've turned it off for awhile because it is pretty hot here today.

They are so adorable. I've put them on straw and they have nibbled at it. I was a bit concerned because I've read other people say their ducklings ate the straw but so far, so good here. I can tell one of the blues apart because it's darker and has a little yellow spot on one side of its head, but the other two are pretty identical. I'm still trying to get them to eat out of a bowl, but they'd rather be hand fed thanks very much.

I think this is a photo of each of the blues.
View attachment 2116719
View attachment 2116720
View attachment 2116722

And these are the two black ones. I love the one with the 'eyelashes' as my daughter calls its marks around its eyes. That's the one I had to help (a lot).
View attachment 2116721
View attachment 2116723

Any sign of life with your last egg?

What cuties! I especially love the one with the “eyelashes”! What breed were they again I cannot for the life of me remember... I’m hoping that last little ducky will hatch for @X3Jack930 I'm definitely rooting for it!

 

[X3Jack930]

The baby chicks were settled overnight so we got a good nights sleep.

I was worried about doing some vacuuming around the ducklings but they couldn't have cared less. They were all sitting away from the heat lamp so I've turned it off for awhile because it is pretty hot here today.

They are so adorable. I've put them on straw and they have nibbled at it. I was a bit concerned because I've read other people say their ducklings ate the straw but so far, so good here. I can tell one of the blues apart because it's darker and has a little yellow spot on one side of its head, but the other two are pretty identical. I'm still trying to get them to eat out of a bowl, but they'd rather be hand fed thanks very much.

I think this is a photo of each of the blues.
View attachment 2116719
View attachment 2116720
View attachment 2116722

And these are the two black ones. I love the one with the 'eyelashes' as my daughter calls its marks around its eyes. That's the one I had to help (a lot).
View attachment 2116721
View attachment 2116723

Any sign of life with your last egg?

I’m glad to hear everyone is settling and happy!!! Yeah- mine don’t even flinch when I pull out the cookie sheets, pots and pans, etc.. They’re in the kitchen, across from the eating area, in front of the sliding glass doors, in a clear see through tote so they can see the “outside” world. I had the bator propped up on the floor against the ending of the lower cabinetry in front of the wall that ends just prior to the sliding glass doors, so since they kind of “grew up” there- I’m just going to let them stay here for now, so they can interact with everyone. Our kitchen is like the hub of the house and the center of everything. The living room, dining room, family room, basement stairs and front entrance/foyer all extend different directions off the kitchen. If you don’t mind me asking? Where do you keep everyone?

Aww- they are too beautiful and so darn cute!! The “eyelashes”, how cute is that!! Those two are actually read that the straw for the babies was much more efficient- I didn’t see anything about them eating the straw yet, but I did read that they can eat the pine shavings (which of course is what I bought), so for now I’m just keeping a comfy towel lined with paper towels on top that I swap out).

I’m now thinking about their coop and run I want it to look like a mini house. Luckily I’m a carpenter- work for a construction company and have built many houses and helped to draw and scale many of the plans, and do the material break down and I also have every tool known to man, so thankfully I’ve got that part behind me. The “head of household” suggested using pallets put together to look like a long tent, haha! I told him if he wants to get on the ground and crawl through the thing to change the bedding and cleaning, I’m all for it! That was a two minute conversation as he changed his mind real quick, like I thought he would! Lol!!

I opted to unplug my “fake bator” an hour ago and decided after multiple candlings, tappings and no internal pip that #10 probably didn’t make it. We’re going to bury her tomorrow morning in the garden where the original nest is/was made from Mama Duck. I don’t have the heart to open the egg and see what happened? If I was going to continue hatching eggs, maybe I would have more of a desire, but unless another Mama Duck gets abducted by another fox, I’m not sure I’ll need to see that tragic death of poor #10, nor do I think I’ll even figure out why she never internally pipped, etc. I read on some posts that it could have been humidity, temp, etc. but everyone else hatched perfectly so I’m ruling those things out. Im okay to just think and believe she was weaker than the others, plain and simple.

ThanI you for sending me pictures of everyone!!! I’d love to see more as they get bigger as well!!! I’m assuming your daughter loves the new additions? How old is your daughter if you don’t mind me asking?

 

[X3Jack930]

What cuties! I especially love the one with the “eyelashes”! What breed were they again I cannot for the life of me remember... I’m hoping that last little ducky will hatch for @X3Jack930 I'm definitely rooting for it!

@FunnyfarmMidwest thank you for your continued support with #10. Unfortunately, as much as I don’t want to believe it, I don’t think she made it. I ended up unplugging the bator an hour ago and decided I would bury her in my garden where Mama Duck’s nest is/was when they were first laid. Everyone else internally pipped by the 27th and we’re now going on day 4 from my first internal pippers, so I don’t want to “cook” the babies corpse by leaving her in the bator any longer I just wish I knew what went wrong? I’m assuming she was just weaker than the other and I’ve ruled out temp, humidity, etc. as everyone else hatched perfectly with no issues, so I’m not going to break open her egg because I just don’t feel it will give me answers. It’s just weird because her air sac continued drawing larger, she was still moving and nothing in the bator changed? Aside from the fact I stopped turning, spraying and cooling her when I found my initial internal pippers. Could that be it? Maybe she still needed one, if not all of those three things? Or do you think it very well may have been that she was just weak/underdeveloped/etc.?

 

[JaeG]

What cuties! I especially love the one with the “eyelashes”! What breed were they again I cannot for the life of me remember... I’m hoping that last little ducky will hatch for @X3Jack930 I'm definitely rooting for it!

They are Muscovy ducklings, and they kept me waiting all 35 days, and the three blue ones hatched on day 36! It was quite the marathon.

 

[X3Jack930]

They are Muscovy ducklings, and they kept me waiting all 35 days, and the three blue ones hatched on day 36! It was quite the marathon.

So worth it

 

[JaeG]

I’m glad to hear everyone is settling and happy!!! Yeah- mine don’t even flinch when I pull out the cookie sheets, pots and pans, etc.. They’re in the kitchen, across from the eating area, in front of the sliding glass doors, in a clear see through tote so they can see the “outside” world. I had the bator propped up on the floor against the ending of the lower cabinetry in front of the wall that ends just prior to the sliding glass doors, so since they kind of “grew up” there- I’m just going to let them stay here for now, so they can interact with everyone. Our kitchen is like the hub of the house and the center of everything. The living room, dining room, family room, basement stairs and front entrance/foyer all extend different directions off the kitchen. If you don’t mind me asking? Where do you keep everyone?

Aww- they are too beautiful and so darn cute!! The “eyelashes”, how cute is that!! Those two are actually read that the straw for the babies was much more efficient- I didn’t see anything about them eating the straw yet, but I did read that they can eat the pine shavings (which of course is what I bought), so for now I’m just keeping a comfy towel lined with paper towels on top that I swap out).

I’m now thinking about their coop and run I want it to look like a mini house. Luckily I’m a carpenter- work for a construction company and have built many houses and helped to draw and scale many of the plans, and do the material break down and I also have every tool known to man, so thankfully I’ve got that part behind me. The “head of household” suggested using pallets put together to look like a long tent, haha! I told him if he wants to get on the ground and crawl through the thing to change the bedding and cleaning, I’m all for it! That was a two minute conversation as he changed his mind real quick, like I thought he would! Lol!!

I opted to unplug my “fake bator” an hour ago and decided after multiple candlings, tappings and no internal pip that #10 probably didn’t make it. We’re going to bury her tomorrow morning in the garden where the original nest is/was made from Mama Duck. I don’t have the heart to open the egg and see what happened? If I was going to continue hatching eggs, maybe I would have more of a desire, but unless another Mama Duck gets abducted by another fox, I’m not sure I’ll need to see that tragic death of poor #10, nor do I think I’ll even figure out why she never internally pipped, etc. I read on some posts that it could have been humidity, temp, etc. but everyone else hatched perfectly so I’m ruling those things out. Im okay to just think and believe she was weaker than the others, plain and simple.

ThanI you for sending me pictures of everyone!!! I’d love to see more as they get bigger as well!!! I’m assuming your daughter loves the new additions? How old is your daughter if you don’t mind me asking?

We have a 12 year old daughter (who loves her birds) and a 9 year old son who is also crazy about animals.

Sounds like you have some lucky duckies there - their house is sure to be spectacular. Yes, it's much easier to clean out something you can walk into than something you have to crawl and reach into. It's worth the extra materials and effort for sure!

I'm in New Zealand and once our babies are big enough there's nothing that can hurt them (unless they get out on the road so we will have to clip their wings). I might start them in my shed, but I'm picking they will find their own places to roost and nest in the trees. We have 11.6 acres with a pond and farms all around us.

I'm sorry about your last egg but sometimes they just don't grow properly. At least you tried and seeing as the others all hatched out happy and healthy it's most likely there was something wrong with her.

Our ducklings are in the lounge but our little house is very open plan so they have people going past them all the time (stopping to talk to them and tell them how cute they are).

I can't wait to see how they turn out too. I'll keep you posted, and I want to see your babies growing up too. Mallards are gorgeous and very sweet looking birds.

 

[FunnyfarmMidwest]

@FunnyfarmMidwest thank you for your continued support with #10. Unfortunately, as much as I don’t want to believe it, I don’t think she made it. I ended up unplugging the bator an hour ago and decided I would bury her in my garden where Mama Duck’s nest is/was when they were first laid. Everyone else internally pipped by the 27th and we’re now going on day 4 from my first internal pippers, so I don’t want to “cook” the babies corpse by leaving her in the bator any longer I just wish I knew what went wrong? I’m assuming she was just weaker than the other and I’ve ruled out temp, humidity, etc. as everyone else hatched perfectly with no issues, so I’m not going to break open her egg because I just don’t feel it will give me answers. It’s just weird because her air sac continued drawing larger, she was still moving and nothing in the bator changed? Aside from the fact I stopped turning, spraying and cooling her when I found my initial internal pippers. Could that be it? Maybe she still needed one, if not all of those three things? Or do you think it very well may have been that she was just weak/underdeveloped/etc.?

I’m very sorry to hear about 10. I’m very happy that you have 9 littles! I congratulate you for all your hard work and devotion to saving them! Sometimes they just don’t make it with no known explanation. It’s sad but take pride in the fact that you got a wonderful hatch rate and have beautiful new littles. Hoping to hear all the stories and see pictures of the babies as they grow! Well wishes and support!
- Rachel