TattooQ27
Songster
Started with 33 eggs, locked down with 25 and we are now down to 12. We do have 4 ducklings that have hatched but I am pretty sure one isn't going to make it. The problem we are seeing is that the ducklings are all pipping on the small end. A couple pipped through veins and bled to death. We can't figure out why that is happening. Of the 4 who have hatched, we did have to help 2. One was completely shrink wrapped and could. not. move. That one is fine and hopping around the incubator giving the others encouragement. He is ready to go to the brooder but I don't want to move him alone and the other 2 that have hatched aren't quite ready yet. The second had pipped the small end and had gotten it's beak out but after 24 hours hadn't made any progress and was obviously struggling so we helped. It is very weak and I am 99% sure it is blind but we are just going to let nature decide what happens with it.
We had a bit of a tough time keeping the temps and humidity stable in the incubator for the first week but it wasn't terrible and certainly didn't seem very threatening to the hatch. We had all of the eggs correctly placed in a turner until lockdown this past Tuesday when we candled them all for movement and then placed them on their sides on the screen in the incubator. From there things went downhill and we just can't figure out why. We kept the temp and humidity as stable as possible and we didn't open for more than a few seconds. When we did open it we had a spray bottle on hand to get the humidity back up and didn't have any issues with that.
Is there anything that makes it more likely for them to pip the wrong end? Is it a humidity issue or a temp issue or does it just happen?
We had a bit of a tough time keeping the temps and humidity stable in the incubator for the first week but it wasn't terrible and certainly didn't seem very threatening to the hatch. We had all of the eggs correctly placed in a turner until lockdown this past Tuesday when we candled them all for movement and then placed them on their sides on the screen in the incubator. From there things went downhill and we just can't figure out why. We kept the temp and humidity as stable as possible and we didn't open for more than a few seconds. When we did open it we had a spray bottle on hand to get the humidity back up and didn't have any issues with that.
Is there anything that makes it more likely for them to pip the wrong end? Is it a humidity issue or a temp issue or does it just happen?