Thread formerly known as Hatch day is today

[psue]

Hi everyone! I have a pair of ducks breeding right now, so I expect a hatch in roughly 2 months! Ducklings!

I internally pipped it. Like the other one, there was too much blood (from the baby trying to pip, not from me) to mess with trying to free beak, but I can see it breathing now. I have it in hatcher with other baby. Really don't think either will make it, but ya never know.

Thank you, QJ. You just taught me a valuable skill. I used a sharp edged tool (like an exacto knife) to score it, then peeled shell off. Was easy and did not disturb outer membrane. Then I took a sterile syringe needle to poke hole through the outer... peeled away with tweezers... then I poked a hole through inner membrane. It was a good exercise, no matter the outcome. Wish I knew to do it that way last night... probably would not have caused as much damage to that egg.

Julie your eggs are now in the han of the usps =)

x 4 or 6 or whatever it takes

 

[Iain Utah]

QJ, sort of .... that is how I found location to pip last night's egg. But this egg had already hit a vein and had blood inside... so I went in blind by that location. I can see the heart beating and a flutter along edge of outer membrane where I think the beak is.... so it is still alive....

The other egg has a nice strong beat to it... feeling a little more optimistic about that one... as I pipped it 13 hours ago.

 

[QuackerJackFarms]

It's not the cord... it dried birth liquids on his neck and back and a few small pieces of shell. I'm not sure what he is but we are just so excited with out first hatch!

I updated my previous post and you might not have seen it... I wanted to clarify I didn't want to try and intervene... just remove any bad eggs if advised or just let things be that the stink could be normal from the hatch of the first one.

OHhhhhh gotcha. Well, you could give little guy a bath if ya wanted. If it's really bad.

 

[QuackerJackFarms]

QJ, sort of .... that is how I found location to pip last night's egg. But this egg had already hit a vein and had blood inside... so I went in blind by that location. I can see the heart beating and a flutter along edge of outer membrane where I think the beak is.... so it is still alive....

The other egg has a nice strong beat to it... feeling a little more optimistic about that one... as I pipped it 13 hours ago.

I hate it when they hit veins. I hope this little guy makes it. I always root for the underdog.

 

[sbost]

I know it is hard asking you guys to advise on things when you don't have all the factors... anyway I just candled the egg on the left again with the dark blotches and yellow ring around the air sack and saw good chick movement inside like what I would expect at 26 days old. I smell the egg and it did not stink but also had yellow discoloration on the bottom like where it might have absorbed some of the hatching chick fluids. So I am going to let things be.

On another note, I made a startling conclusion today. About two weeks ago I found our buff female drowned in our pond in the early am. No predators marks... she was floating belly up. I had heard about turtles drowning them and thought definitely not those sweet little turtles I see sunning on our duck docks... well look what I saw coming out of our pond a little while ago. No kidding, these are bigger than footballs.

And I thought we only had to worry about the bobcats, foxes and coyotes at night. We just nursed our male snowy mallard back to health after my husband interrupted a bobcat attack with his shotgun... that little snowy is tuft.

 

[QuackerJackFarms]

Wow. There's your culprit. They grab them by the foot and hold them underwater until they drown. Then they try to shove them in the mud at the bottom of the pond. I have actually witnessed this with my own 2 eyes! Luckily I was there to jump in the pond and might have had a .22 on me.

And that turtle was a little bigger than my hand. Not that big at all.

Bummer. Hubby is going to have to practice his sharp shooting skills.

I know it is hard asking you guys to advise on things when you don't have all the factors... anyway I just candled the egg on the left again with the dark blotches and yellow ring around the air sack and saw good chick movement inside like what I would expect at 26 days old. I smell the egg and it did not stink but also had yellow discoloration on the bottom like where it might have absorbed some of the hatching chick fluids. So I am going to let things be.

On another note, I made a startling conclusion today. About two weeks ago I found our buff female drowned in our pond in the early am. No predators marks... she was floating belly up. I had heard about turtles drowning them and thought definitely not those sweet little turtles I see sunning on our duck docks... well look what I saw coming out of our pond a little while ago. No kidding, these are bigger than footballs.

And I thought we only had to worry about the bobcats, foxes and coyotes at night. We just nursed our male snowy mallard back to health after my husband interrupted a bobcat attack with his shotgun... that little snowy is tuft.

 

[Srbenda]

Great.

We have snappers in our pond the size of small trash cans.

 

[stillmecle]

HI THERE!!!

 

[jerryford]

Turtle soup PSue has recipe will take care of that problem at same time

I know it is hard asking you guys to advise on things when you don't have all the factors... anyway I just candled the egg on the left again with the dark blotches and yellow ring around the air sack and saw good chick movement inside like what I would expect at 26 days old. I smell the egg and it did not stink but also had yellow discoloration on the bottom like where it might have absorbed some of the hatching chick fluids. So I am going to let things be.

On another note, I made a startling conclusion today. About two weeks ago I found our buff female drowned in our pond in the early am. No predators marks... she was floating belly up. I had heard about turtles drowning them and thought definitely not those sweet little turtles I see sunning on our duck docks... well look what I saw coming out of our pond a little while ago. No kidding, these are bigger than footballs.

And I thought we only had to worry about the bobcats, foxes and coyotes at night. We just nursed our male snowy mallard back to health after my husband interrupted a bobcat attack with his shotgun... that little snowy is tuft.

 

[QuackerJackFarms]

Great.

We have snappers in our pond the size of small trash cans.

yikes. Keep an eye on em.

HI THERE!!!

Hey SM. How are the babies today?

Turtle soup PSue has recipe will take care of that problem at same time