Should I help my baby hatch?

[luvmydux]

I have a runner duck egg that has a hole in it. This is my first time ever!! It cracked sometime yesterday afternoon and still hasnt hatched. What should I do - I looked at the egg and there is a little moving duckie in there

 

[animalpro24]

I have never hatched my own ducks but from what I hear from other hatchers they say leave it there for 24 or 48 hours. If it's not out by then then you might want to help it. But wait until the pros tell you what to do.

 

[gofasterstripe]

Whats your humidity at for the hatching.

 

[luvmydux]

That's a concern too......its at 64ish. Should it be higher?

 

[gofasterstripe]

It needs to be up at 80% is there an air vent you can add water thru to get it up.

 

[tgperg]

I just hatched some last week. They all took a while from internal pip to out of the shell. I did have to help one, but I didn't do anything until it was about 60 hours after internal pip and the peeping was getting noticably weaker. Keep the humidity up, like someone else said. I had mine at 80 - 85%.

Traci

 

[saddina]

The thing is, if the humidity stays low, the membraine on the inside can dry out, shrink wrapping the chick inside. I give eggs 30 hours after pipping, if they haven't gotten out by then I'll assist if he seems in distress. (I live in a desert, the normal air humidity is ~ 20%, way too low for an egg).

 

[luvmydux]

Hmmm..... I cant get humidity higher than 73. If I add more water, my eggs will be in water. We are at 36 hours at least, no progress. I have a busy day today but will come check on him throughout. I am going to wait and let him be (although I am thinking help may be a good idea) because I have never done this before and I would hate to do it wrong. They are technically not due to hatch until tomorrow so I hope its not a bad idea to let it be but that is what my gut is telling me to do. Any other insight would be appreciated.

 

[mangled]

Try wetting a couple rags with warm water and slipping them in the incubator. My ducks hatched out at around 85% humidity. I had to put washcloths in to achieve that high of humidity.



Blessings-
Em