Thread formerly known as Hatch day is today

[HanLills777]

Hmm im not sure, but it could well be a bacteria thing. If the eggs werent clean enough in the first place it could have caused it, the conditions of the incubator i guess are perfect for nasty germs to grow if its not super clean in there. Sorry you lost some but glad the others are ok.

thanks I'm down to 12 from 21 so just overhalf and hatch day should be a week today. Still have very small airsacs though

 

[qwackers]

Dont worry they should get bigger I would have thought from next sun/mon, mine did it a bit last min and i think i did empty out the water for a day which made them go big pretty quick. Did you say your doing this at a school? What are you guys going to do with them all when they hatch out of interest!?

 

[HanLills777]

I might lower the humidity for tomo and fri while I'm in to try an enlarge them a bit, I'm so nervous for at least one to hatch, my class will be so disappointed if none do although I guess that's life. I hav a contact who owns a local farm, the eggs came from her, when the ducklings ar two weeks old she'll take them from there, I'm like a surrogate hatcher. Last year she ankle tagged my 7 to keep tabs on them, I saw them when I picked these eggs up 3 weeks ago, they're huge lol

 

[HanLills777]

Sorry, my keys are sticking and missing out letters

 

[Goin Quackrrs]

Hey all, I caught one of my welsh harlequins making a nest. Scraping out a depression, placing leaves and pine needles just so, and then she laid a nice big egg in it. Is making a nest necessarily a sign of going broody? I haven't really had a broody breed before, and my pekins just dropped them without bothering to make a nest, which is what these girls have been doing up until now.

Sounds like a broody to me!

there were two eggs today that were going grey on the shells and when my TA went to look she smelt a very strong smell (I'm bunged up with cold so could only faintly smell it) candelled and there's nothing, but will they have affected the others at all? I resisted candling on Monday and Tuesday because of my cold otherwise I'd have caught them sooner but couldn't risk not candling today (I washed my hands thoroughly and did it quickly to avoid passing anything on) of the 14 left after the smelly ones were taken out 12 still had movements but again airsacs are small, two had no movement and I candlled for a while to double check and have removed these for fear of them getting grey and smelly too, does it sound like bacteria?

Sometimes when the embryo dies, they go icky pretty quick. Glad you caught them before you had bombs on your hands.

Just keep an eye on the others.

I might lower the humidity for tomo and fri while I'm in to try an enlarge them a bit, I'm so nervous for at least one to hatch, my class will be so disappointed if none do

although I guess that's life. I hav a contact who owns a local farm, the eggs came from her, when the ducklings ar two weeks old she'll take them from there, I'm like a surrogate hatcher. Last year she ankle tagged my 7 to keep tabs on them, I saw them when I picked these eggs up 3 weeks ago, they're huge lol

It's nice to have a prearranged home for them! I offered to take back the hatchlings(from my eggs) from a high school boy's senior project, but he just had to keep them. I don't blame him, ducks are awesome.

 

[HanLills777]

I would love to keep them but it's summer holidays in 3 weeks and I can't bring them home to my bird phobic mother and three cats lol

 

[qwackers]

Hehee that would be funny! Shame though. Do you teach little kids or nasty big kids!?

 

[HanLills777]

Hmm im not sure, but it could well be a bacteria thing. If the eggs werent clean enough in the first place it could have caused it, the conditions of the incubator i guess are perfect for nasty germs to grow if its not super clean in there. Sorry you lost some but glad the others are ok.

thanks I'm down to 12 from 21 so just overhalf and hatch day should be a week today. Still have very small airsacs though

Lol yes it would be lovely, ducks are my favourite animals I teach little kids hehe, deffo not cut out for bigger children lol

 

[HanLills777]

Tried googling airsacs size but still unsure, thought I'd upload some pics to see if anyone thinks they look ok, some seem on track I think but some seem small,we are on day 22 now

 

[HanLills777]

Have penciled round the airsac I can see, day 22 of incubation, too small, big or just right?