THE SUSPENCE IS KILLING ME!

[Dees ducks]

Hi All,
Just thought I'd share my first hatching experience......
First time for me trying to hatch 6 Cayuga ducklings in a cheap incubator.
I've struggled with the humidity levels throughout the incubation and yesterday, on lockdown day/day 25, I found that 4 of the eggs had already started to pip before lockdown. Well you could have knocked me down with a feather!
Needless to say I quickly filled up the water reservoir, lowered temperature and put a rush order on Amazon for chick starter crumb.
Ok.....so fast forward 24 hours and no more progress.
At what stage should I start to get worried?
Anybody have a similar experience?
Also, one of the eggs has piped at the wrong end but it's jiggling about and cheaping so should I be concerned.
Any help and advice would be really appreciated.
Thank you - a worried Mammy.

 

[007Sean]

They usually rest for 24 to 30 hours after they pip. Then they will start to zip, they may also 'rest' while they are zipping too! Sometimes it can take them 48 hours to hatch.
Just make sure the malpositioned chick's pip hole is pointing up. If it doesn't resume pipping or zipping after the 24 to 30 hour time peroid then you might want to consider doing an assisted hatch.

 

[Dees ducks]

They usually rest for 24 to 30 hours after they pip. Then they will start to zip, they may also 'rest' while they are zipping too! Sometimes it can take them 48 hours to hatch.
Just make sure the malpositioned chick's pip hole is pointing up. If it doesn't resume pipping or zipping after the 24 to 30 hour time peroid then you might want to consider doing an assisted hatch.

Thanks for that I feel a little less stressed. The one piping at the wrong end is piping at the side so seems ok, I will keep my eye on them all today and hope for the best.

 

[Magnolia Ducks]

 

[Dees ducks]

They usually rest for 24 to 30 hours after they pip. Then they will start to zip, they may also 'rest' while they are zipping too! Sometimes it can take them 48 hours to hatch.
Just make sure the malpositioned chick's pip hole is pointing up. If it doesn't resume pipping or zipping after the 24 to 30 hour time peroid then you might want to consider doing an assisted hatch.

OMG - First one hatched at 5pm UK time. I've called him Oddball and it's definitely a male as his timing stinks (he was way too early) and now he like a bull in a china shop tearing about the incubator, moving all the other eggs and chirping at them loudly to get a move on! Fingers crossed for the others.

 

[Magnolia Ducks]

So very cute. More pictures!

 

[Miss Lydia]

Adorable!! he'll get the others motivated for sure.

 

[aart]

Anybody have a similar experience?

It is nerve racking!!
Congrats!!

 

[007Sean]

Congratulations hope the rest hatch, without problems.

 

[Dees ducks]

What a rollercoaster, traumatic week.........
5 out of the 6 eggs hatched with sadly the one that hatched from the wrong end ( named Uppsydaisy) dying after about 30 minutes of being born. So I like cried for 2 hours saying no way was I ever going to go through this again! Yesterday I was a bag of nerves and having anxiety attacks worrying about the other 4 as 3 of the all seemed very floppy and lifeless (not like the first Oddball as mentioned was charging around the incubator from the moment he hatched). Well I woke at 5am this morning to find 4 very healthy, fluffy, active and cheeky ducklings eating and drinking in-between naps.
Then I had two further surprises this morning........
The last egg piped and hatched and although seems very very weak is sleeping and drying out in the incubator. Please God it will be fine but am watching very carefully today.
The other surprise was that my 6 month old duck called Matilda laid her first egg!!!!!
Yeay
Pics of ducklings will follow but at the moment they are just piled in the corner of the brooder like a fluffy, cheaping pile