Thread formerly known as Hatch day is today

[newduckie2013]

Help!!! I'm incubating a duck egg and today is day 28. The air cell size looks good, but there is no internal pip. When I candle, I can see a tiny bit of movement (and veins around the edges of the fetus). I just did the float test and it was a low floater with a tiny bit of movement. I'm concerned that it hasn't even internally pipped, and concerned about the sparse movement. No peeping, etc. Should I intervene?

 

[ChristineR]

Help!!! I'm incubating a duck egg and today is day 28. The air cell size looks good, but there is no internal pip. When I candle, I can see a tiny bit of movement (and veins around the edges of the fetus). I just did the float test and it was a low floater with a tiny bit of movement. I'm concerned that it hasn't even internally pipped, and concerned about the sparse movement. No peeping, etc. Should I intervene?

I wouldn't yet, if it hasn't internally pipped. Were your incubator temps a little low? That can delay the hatch.

 

[RiverGoddess]

I wouldn't yet, if it hasn't internally pipped. Were your incubator temps a little low? That can delay the hatch.

Yeppers

 

[newduckie2013]

As far as I can tell, it hasn't internally pipped. (The air cell looks totally transparent?) The air cell is taking up about 40% of the egg - is that normal? I just hardly see any movement at all, and I've read that sometimes the internal membrane can dry up and they can't get through it into the air cell, so I was wondering if I should open up the air cell side to see if the internal membrane is white (dried up?) or clear (healthy?) I know for sure that today is day 28, but the temperature has probably not been consistent...

 

[RiverGoddess]

I always recommend leaving the egg alone & letting the baby at least PIP by itself. Because if it is not ready to even internally pip you will 99% loose the duckling.

If it does not hatch, you can always hatch another. Better to leave it.

Unless it has pipped, and when they pip I have seen it take 3 days to come out, even at day 28.

DUCKS ARE VERY VERY VERY slow hatchers.

And alot of time we get inpatient & end up doing more harm than good when we try to rush hatching and developing along. Hence they are Molasses !!!

This is just my 2 bits.... I have hatched a few duckies over the years.
(and everytime you mess with the egg you are opening your bator screwing with Humidity & Temp which can also mess with the final hatching process)

And the slight movement could be them taking a breather ~ its exhausting for the last days of the pip & zip

Good Luck!

 

[Goin Quackrrs]

No she is still a little baby! I haven't named her yet, because I am waiting to hatch another one, so I can name them as a pair ! I am free all day, as far as I know. So we will have some poutry, auction, lunch n maybe a little shopping!

Oh & you get to see my puppers

Awww. I want. Can't have, but I want anyway!

Awwww.... did you wind up keeping Pinky then? By the way, how are your two new drakes settling in?


Indeed it is, especially on a white feathered bird. It scared me half to death seeing him covered in blood!

Sorry your sebbie and turkey are continuing to have problems. I have heard quite a few stories about ganders and turkeys having problems during breeding season and it usually ends with the turkey getting killed.

Any African or dewlap eggs yet??? All 6 of my African girls are laying now. I got my 1st duck egg yesterday and my yearling dewlap girls are building nests so I expect to start seeing eggs from them this week. However, my 2yo grey dewlap girls are only now showing any interest in boys, so it will probably still be a while before I get eggs from them.

Pinky still lives with us. He's not a breeder, but I needed a buddy for my one-eyed drake. The new boys are settled in pretty well, by day three, they were putting themselves to bed without a fight. The girls are a little unamused with the change in routine. I had a drop off in laying since the new guys moved in. I have temperamental ducks.

I wouldn't yet, if it hasn't internally pipped. Were your incubator temps a little low? That can delay the hatch.

Agreed. My last hatch went long and had me really worried because they're usually on time or a little early. But all went well once I got over the checking every few hours!

I always recommend leaving the egg alone & letting the baby at least PIP by itself. Because if it is not ready to even internally pip you will 99% loose the duckling.

If it does not hatch, you can always hatch another. Better to leave it.

Unless it has pipped, and when they pip I have seen it take 3 days to come out, even at day 28.

DUCKS ARE VERY VERY VERY slow hatchers.

And alot of time we get inpatient & end up doing more harm than good when we try to rush hatching and developing along. Hence they are Molasses !!!

This is just my 2 bits.... I have hatched a few duckies over the years.
(and everytime you mess with the egg you are opening your bator screwing with Humidity & Temp which can also mess with the final hatching process)

And the slight movement could be them taking a breather ~ its exhausting for the last days of the pip & zip

Good Luck!

Agreed again! Don't mess with anything that hasn't internally pipped. It's hard enough to assist a hatch when necessary, to interfere this soon will create more problems.

If the duckling can't internally pip at least, there's probably a bigger problem. I could tell you a horrible story of a botched eggtopsy I did once, but I think I'll spare everyone.

 

[psue]

Candled tonight... got 12 Buff Orph. Duck eggs growing good, but one of the eggs has NO aircell.......... none, zip, NODA

all the babies are moving very well and the are on day 14.

Crazy ducks!

 

[Goin Quackrrs]

Candled tonight... got 12 Buff Orph. Duck eggs growing good, but one of the eggs has NO aircell.......... none, zip, NODA

all the babies are moving very well and the are on day 14.

Crazy ducks!

No air cell? Strangeness.

 

[Marty1876]

Quote: That is odd indeed, and may not bode well for the hatch.

How are you girls anyway?

Botched eggtopsy?

I have never yet had the courage to eggtopsy a failed hatch. I've even taken A & P, but then again, that might be why I'm unwilling. When nature screws up, it can be unlovely.

 

[Iain Utah]

Quackers, glad to hear the boys are settling in well. I expect your girls will get back into the swing of things in no time.

Psue, congrats on the duck eggs developing! How weird the one has no air cell? I am getting an egg a day from my coop and have set a couple ancona eggs aside. It may be fun to have a couple ducklings hatch with my goslings.

My big news for the day....... one of my 2yo grey dewlaps is laying an egg right now!

Unfortunately, she is not separated from my production gander, but that will be fixed by the end of the day. Fingers crossed in 10 days, I will have purebred fertile grey dewlap eggs for hatching.