What settings for lockdown?

[Little Cute Lily]

I went in to give the eggs a spritz and the egg with the large air cell wobbled and rolled around! I ran for my flashlight, and lo and behold, it had internally pipped! No clue when it had pipped, so I made a small safety hole, and gave them one big spritz, and put them all on lockdown, even though I knew that the other three were looking about a day or so behind (today is day 24 in about 4 hours).

I have upped the humidity to 65%, and since my hovabator didn't arrive today, I borrowed my friends Farm Innovators 4250 to use as my hatcher, since it has these water channels for me to add water in without having to open up the bator to add water. This bator though she says is notorious for not getting up to temp or holding, luckily I was able to run it for 6 hours before this pip happened. I need to tell my friend that wrapping a towel around it got it hold steady, though I have it set at 103 with two calibrated thermometers showing it to be 98.3-98.5 (close enough). Hoping I don't have to assist, since I was ready to have a breakdown just putting the safety hole in, I was nervous and didn't apply enough pressure, so it took me a good 5 minutes or so. Looks like I may have a duckling ready to come out a little early, while its siblings are probably going to be closer to due date this Friday.

If it does come, and dries off - ok to open up the bator to take it to the brooder after it dries off, or wait til the rest of them come???

Oh and since my 4th duckling hatched nearly 8 hours from the other 3, I of course opened it and moved the 3 ducklings to the brooder and kept the 4th in the incubator until it had been "hatched" 10 hours like its siblings.

 

[AngeJD]

I'll definitely keep an eye, as it is I'm running over to look through the window every 30 minutes. I don't remember being this nervous when I was ready to have my kids!

 

[Little Cute Lily]

I'll definitely keep an eye, as it is I'm running over to look through the window every 30 minutes. I don't remember being this nervous when I was ready to have my kids!

I know! I didn't get any sleep at all during hatch day. I didn't sleep for nearly two days to the point that I passed out with the one weaker duckling Alfalfa still sleeping by my tummy. My duckling Alfalfa is one week and 4 days old now and refuses to go to sleep unless he/she is by my side. Right now I'm lucky I only work weekends and I have my mother look after Alfalfa while I'm gone at work. I texted her for picture updates nearly once an hour. Alfalfa is so spoiled that they jumped out of their brooder so often and instead of getting a taller brooder, they have a whole set up with a new carpet, yellow towels, my big pink mirror, a very soft bear plushie that they rest on, and a duck plushie too right under my desk and laptop set up. He has pooped on both of Dad's sandals, but it's okay because he's cute and all babies are unstoppable pooping machines. Alfalfa has yet to learn object permanence, so anytime I want to leave my room to get cereal, he panics and starts chirping loudly for his mommy. So now Alfalfa follows my feet and goes where I go in the house.

 

[Crazy Duck Lover]

I'll definitely keep an eye, as it is I'm running over to look through the window every 30 minutes. I don't remember being this nervous when I was ready to have my kids!

How’s it going?? Seeing anything yet? I was just as nervous with my most recent hatch. I have more on lockdown right now with 2 pips so far! Let me know how it goes!

 

[AngeJD]

I now have 2 eggs with internal pips, so I put a safety hole in the other egg this morning, both are rocking and wobbling like crazy, like they're having a party in there! I'm surprised though since we're on day 24, and I was crazy diligent about the temp and humidity...but they may still come on hatch day which is Friday.

I candled the other 2, and they grew a LOT in the last day, both air sacs have dipped and I can see shadowing pushing against the membrane, so I'll check again tonight and put in a safety hole in those if they've internally pipped.

Here's my insta link to the one egg rocking out from yesterday. I'm a city girl incubating for the first time, so this is all amazing to me. My kids both stared into the window of the incubator for about 15 minutes during their recess (we're on remote learning since we're on lockdown again here) - so this has been a great learning experience for them (and me!)

https://www.instagram.com/p/CN7e2xMB82a/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Will update once I see external pip (hopefully!), though everything I've read said that for call ducks, if no external pip within 12 hours or so, that it's time to open up the safety hole. Hoping I don't have to do a duckling c-section!

 

[Crazy Duck Lover]

I now have 2 eggs with internal pips, so I put a safety hole in the other egg this morning, both are rocking and wobbling like crazy, like they're having a party in there! I'm surprised though since we're on day 24, and I was crazy diligent about the temp and humidity...but they may still come on hatch day which is Friday.

I candled the other 2, and they grew a LOT in the last day, both air sacs have dipped and I can see shadowing pushing against the membrane, so I'll check again tonight and put in a safety hole in those if they've internally pipped.

Here's my insta link to the one egg rocking out from yesterday. I'm a city girl incubating for the first time, so this is all amazing to me. My kids both stared into the window of the incubator for about 15 minutes during their recess (we're on remote learning since we're on lockdown again here) - so this has been a great learning experience for them (and me!)

https://www.instagram.com/p/CN7e2xMB82a/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Will update once I see external pip (hopefully!), though everything I've read said that for call ducks, if no external pip within 12 hours or so, that it's time to open up the safety hole. Hoping I don't have to do a duckling c-section!

Awww so great your kids get to experience it as well Good luck, hope it goes well and no egg c section!

 

[AngeJD]

Ok, just a PSA for anyone considering the Farm Innovators 2250 or 4250 model....the gauges are CRAP! When I went to candle the other egg to put in a safety hole, I thought they felt a little lukewarm. Bator setting was at 102 and I had 2 extra thermometers in there. Both around 37C so I thought ok...lockdown so not too bad.

I was a tad suspicious so I went over to my friend's and got her digital hygro/thermometer combos (always calibrated since she hatches quail all the time) and well...its off. SO OFF.

Glad I caught this on day 1 of lockdown, because the built in hygrometer on the farm innovators Styrofoam bator is so off I would have drowned my babies. As it is right now I have all the vents open, and I'm trying to suction water out from the wells. Bator showed 53%, so I kept upping it. Auxiliary meters showed over 70%. For the temp, I have to up it to 106 (and because it's outside the "range") the alarm light keeps going...and 106 is equivalent to actual temp of 97.5F or 37C.

Wish my hovabator was here...

 

[AngeJD]

24 hours have passed since I made the safety hole in the first egg and no external pip...keep waiting or time to open up that shell a little? The other two internally pipped today and I put in safety holes, and the last egg is still shadowing.

I'm mainly concerned about the first egg...its not moving anymore and I'm not sure I can hear tapping. Lots of tapping and peeping earlier today though...


Help!

 

[AngeJD]

Pretty sure I lost one. No movement. I'll keep waiting but rather sad.

 

[Little Cute Lily]

Pretty sure I lost one. No movement. I'll keep waiting but rather sad.

The babies are less likely to externally pip if there's a safety hole. I'd wait a bit before putting anymore safety holes, at least 12 hours. The one that shows no movement go ahead and open up further. See if it's shrink wrapped.