Thread formerly known as Hatch day is today

[Pyxis]

I'm watching him through the big hole he's made and it looks like he's trying so hard to turn. He keeps throwing his beak up at the shell where he can reach and punching a bit of a bigger hole but he's not turning...

 

[JulieNKC]

I'm watching him through the big hole he's made and it looks like he's trying so hard to turn. He keeps throwing his beak up at the shell where he can reach and punching a bit of a bigger hole but he's not turning...

As long as it's energetic and still trying I'd leave it alone to see what it can do. If is starts fading, acting weaker then try slowly helping it, do a search there's quite a few threads about how to help. Good luck!

 

[Pyxis]

It took him a ton of work but he managed to get halfway around the egg and then he just pushed and pushed till the shell cracked. All I had to do was go in really quick and pull his head out of the bottom part of the shell because he got his head stuck. I have it on video! Anyone here good at beak sexing welsh harlequins? I'm torn on what he is.

 

[JulieNKC]

It took him a ton of work but he managed to get halfway around the egg and then he just pushed and pushed till the shell cracked. All I had to do was go in really quick and pull his head out of the bottom part of the shell because he got his head stuck. I have it on video! Anyone here good at beak sexing welsh harlequins? I'm torn on what he is.

Yay on the duckling! I have no idea on the sexing, but congrats!

 

[Pyxis]

Well, I guess my question about it is, if anyone here knows about it, do drakes have a solid colored beak? This little one has a dark tip and orange above it but the black seems to be covering about half the beak. How black does it have to be to be male? I'll keep her if she's a little girl.

 

[Kevin565]

Well, I guess my question about it is, if anyone here knows about it, do drakes have a solid colored beak? This little one has a dark tip and orange above it but the black seems to be covering about half the beak. How black does it have to be to be male? I'll keep her if she's a little girl.

Where did you get your eggs? Color sexing has been bred out in many strains.

 

[Pyxis]

They're metzer ducks, and their website still says you can do it. Nevertheless, I may take the guesswork out of it and vent sex. I'm a vet student and we covered it last semester in an animal agriculture class, including practicing it, but it's been awhile so I'm going to be very cautious. That'll be in the morning though.

The egg pipped on the wrong side didn't pip all the way through, I just discovered. I peeled back the shell and membrane over where the beak is and I think I was too late. It didn't even move when I tapped the beak. I think the poor thing suffocated.

 

[Marty1876]

Well, I guess my question about it is, if anyone here knows about it, do drakes have a solid colored beak? This little one has a dark tip and orange above it but the black seems to be covering about half the beak. How black does it have to be to be male? I'll keep her if she's a little girl.

This is unreliable at best. In my hatchlings, I get variety in beak colorations (except Kahkis and pekings) but they all move toward the right color for their breed over time. Don't use this as a sexing method. Go practive those valuable vet sexing skills!

 

[knightie]

For lockdown is 88% humidity too much? (Or is there such a thing at lockdown?)

 

[Marty1876]

Yes there is such a thing as lockdown. It is usually done the last 3 days before expected hatch time. I think 88% is maybe a little high for lockdown (boy, I sure don't have to type that very often!) I try to stay between 70-80% if I can. 75% is Ideal.

That said, lockdown for chickens is day 18. Lockdown for quial is day 14. Lockdown for turkeys is day 25 (and usually ducks too), but with waterfowl, especially geese, you've really got to watch the egg, candle at night, and put into lockdown when it pips internally. (You'll see a little pointy shadow moving around) If you candle every evening when your turning or checking your eggs, you'll realize that there is somthing else in the spot where there is usually no shadow. (you can search for pics, there are many posted on this sight back in March - June especially, or search the thread) Thats when you move waterfowl to lockdown.

Good Luck!