Should I make a safety hole, ADVICE PLEASE

[Isaac 0]

Sorry to hear they didn't make it. Sadly, very few times are there "perfect" hatches.

 

[RainbowHen]

Hang in there, and don't be afraid to try again. It is heartbreaking but on the positive, now you know! I have been there and I understand

 

[HollowOfWisps]

Yeah I lost all three eggs I opened them today

I'm so sorry they didn't make it So many things can go wrong with hatching and everyone who hatches loses some at times it's just the nature of hatching. Even a broody duck can have bad hatches. Don't let this discourage you from trying again! Just take note of what you would do differently for next time and go from there. I started to document my hatches from the good to the bad and keep them stored on my computer. With every time I candle I take a picture of every candled egg that way I can visually see what may have went wrong or what went right and also add them to the document. I like to compare the early pictures with the later pictures especially of eggs that died and have often found when I went back to the earlier pictures there was something minutely wrong that I didn't notice originally. For example, the veins measuring short from the start compared to other eggs, air sac size differences, a small deformity, a small bacteria pocket etc. I keep my eggs numbered then add them to a chart that is color coded based on what I think the propability is of the egg successfully hatching (red under 33.3%, yellow 33.3%-66.6% and green 66.6%+) . I know it's a little much, but my goal is to get several hatches documented that way anytime I meet someone new to hatching I can send them a copy so they can learn from my mistakes.

 

[Potato Queenz]

I'm so sorry they didn't make it So many things can go wrong with hatching and everyone who hatches loses some at times it's just the nature of hatching. Even a broody duck can have bad hatches. Don't let this discourage you from trying again! Just take note of what you would do differently for next time and go from there. I started to document my hatches from the good to the bad and keep them stored on my computer. With every time I candle I take a picture of every candled egg that way I can visually see what may have went wrong or what went right and also add them to the document. I like to compare the early pictures with the later pictures especially of eggs that died and have often found when I went back to the earlier pictures there was something minutely wrong that I didn't notice originally. For example, the veins measuring short from the start compared to other eggs, air sac size differences, a small deformity, a small bacteria pocket etc. I keep my eggs numbered then add them to a chart that is color coded based on what I think the propability is of the egg successfully hatching (red under 33.3%, yellow 33.3%-66.6% and green 66.6%+) . I know it's a little much, but my goal is to get several hatches documented that way anytime I meet someone new to hatching I can send them a copy so they can learn from my mistakes.

I think that’s such a great idea, to see how you can improve your hatch rate. I’m sure that would be so helpful to so many people! What type of angels do you have or did you order your eggs? And if you have hatched any do some breeds tends to be more successful?( Id love to see pictures)

 

[HollowOfWisps]

I think that’s such a great idea, to see how you can improve your hatch rate. I’m sure that would be so helpful to so many people! What type of angels do you have or did you order your eggs? And if you have hatched any do some breeds tends to be more successful?( Id love to see pictures)

I have only ever hatched Hookbills recently and some barnyard mixes years ago growing up on the farm so I can't say much about the other breeds. I have Hookbills, Rouens, Mallards and Runners and I'm contemplating about throwing some eggs in the incubator to see what fun mixes come out. I'm not sure if one breed is harder to hatch over the other although I was told before I started with Hookbills they were one of the hardest due to the amount of inbreeding and bill length. I personally did not think that they were that hard to hatch and I'm not exactly sure why the bill shape was mentioned because as ducklings all of their bills are the same size any other ducklings bill. Even when I mentioned it to some of the european hookbill breeders they agreed that the bill size at hatch has never been an issue for them. I do know things like the health of the parents, amount of inbreeding in lineage, eggs size/shape, eggs too dirty or so clean that the bloom has been removed and shipped vs. non-shipped eggs play a very big role in hatch rates along with the usual incubator temp/humidity. Here are some pics of my flock-

 

[Potato Queenz]

I have only ever hatched Hookbills recently and some barnyard mixes years ago growing up on the farm so I can't say much about the other breeds. I have Hookbills, Rouens, Mallards and Runners and I'm contemplating about throwing some eggs in the incubator to see what fun mixes come out. I'm not sure if one breed is harder to hatch over the other although I was told before I started with Hookbills they were one of the hardest due to the amount of inbreeding and bill length. I personally did not think that they were that hard to hatch and I'm not exactly sure why the bill shape was mentioned because as ducklings all of their bills are the same size any other ducklings bill. Even when I mentioned it to some of the european hookbill breeders they agreed that the bill size at hatch has never been an issue for them. I do know things like the health of the parents, amount of inbreeding in lineage, eggs size/shape, eggs too dirty or so clean that the bloom has been removed and shipped vs. non-shipped eggs play a very big role in hatch rates along with the usual incubator temp/humidity. Here are some pics of my flock-

Wow beautiful babies, I love (what I think is a girl) that has the tan ish colors kinda like a harlequin, I like the silly look of hookbills lol. They’re really rare aren’t they where did you get the eggs?

 

[HollowOfWisps]

Wow beautiful babies, I love (what I think is a girl) that has the tan ish colors kinda like a harlequin, I like the silly look of hookbills lol. They’re really rare aren’t they where did you get the eggs?

Thank you! She is a Golden Phase Snowy Hookbill and one of my favorites too! They are fairly rare and I have sourced mine from a couple different places as I've come across them.I don't have the contact info from the places I got mine since I contacted them over Facebook and I don't have Facebook anymore. I know there is a place in Canada who will ship live adult birds to the US I think Apricot Farms or Apricot Valley?

 

[Potato Queenz]

Thank you! She is a Golden Phase Snowy Hookbill and one of my favorites too! They are fairly rare and I have sourced mine from a couple different places as I've come across them.I don't have the contact info from the places I got mine since I contacted them over Facebook and I don't have Facebook anymore. I know there is a place in Canada who will ship live adult birds to the US I think Apricot Farms or Apricot Valley?

Nice to know thank you did you name them too?

 

[HollowOfWisps]

Nice to know thank you did you name them too?

Haha although they have all been changed a million times, I did finally settle on their names

"Hermione"- The Golden Snowy you like "Bellatrix"- Black bibbed hen
"Dodo"- Dusky Bibbed hen (husband named)
"Sage"- Dusky Mallard hen
"Yellow"- Other Golden Snowy hen (son named)
"Delilah" - Rouen Hen
"Willow"- Mallard Hen
"Agatha"- Fawn and White Runner hen
"Ichabod"- Golden Snowy Drake
"Shakespeare"- Dusky Mallard Drake

 

[gimmie birdies]

I don't like to to make a hole for the a chick in the egg, because a healthy vibrant chick will get itself out of an egg, when it is ready, if you have to help it then you may end up with a needy (health issue) chick.