What went wrong?

[Chels1234]

What went wrong? First egg ever incubating! Trying to get it right next time!

 

[sylviethecochin]

To answer that, the experts (NOT me) are going to need to know a few things:
Where do you get your eggs?
Do you control the breeder flock? If so, what do they eat?
Do you clean your eggs before hatching? If so, how?
How old are your eggs and how are they stored?
What is your humidity?
What is your temp?
What type of incubator are you using? (EDT: Not what model: did you install a fan/is it forced air?)
Have you calibrated your hydrometer/thermometer, and are you using only one? (The ones that come with cheap incubators are not to be trusted unless personally calibrated, apparently.)

 

[ChickNanny13]

2x The "experts" need more information ....
What incubator did you use?
Temp & Humidity, start & lock down?
Your eggs or shipped eggs?
Did you "help"?
How was the air cells?

 

[Chels1234]

Wowzer!
Eggs were from backyard ducks. Collected day of hatching. Set for two days. Then incubated.
Kept consistently at 38• C and humidity around 65-70. Had a cheap 4 egg incubator with fan that crapped out on day 20. Made a homemade igloo cooler with fan and vents that day and switched. It was alive and kicking up until day 26. Turned every day until lockdown at least 3x. Day 28 thought we saw a tad movement and small pip then nothing at all. Decided to intervene tonight and found this. Lockdown was up to 38.5•C and started on day 26.

We have 8 drakes and 2 hens. One Pekin and one runner. Drake’s are Pekin, Campbell’s, and runners. All together on same feed.

 

[oregonkat]

Humidity was too high through incubation. Needs to be 35 - 40% through the first 18 days and then only raised up when you have your first external pip. This is all assuming that the air cells are behaving the way they should and humidity adjusted accordingly.

@WVduckchick I know you were posting on the OP's other thread. 8 drakes to 2 hens sounds like too many drakes to me, but I don't know ducks

 

[WVduckchick]

I agree humidity was likely too high for the first 25 days. The pic with just the air cell opened up, the space looks very small, and very mushy inside (too wet). The duckling grew too large and didn’t have room to maneuver to hatch.

Chels, click on the red Humidity link in my signature line (turn phone sideways if on mobile, if you can’t see it).

And yes! 8 drakes on 2 hens is definitely going to be a problem when breeding times roll around. They can coexist at certain times, like before they are sexually active, and during off seasons, but when the boys want to mate, they will be too hard on just 2 girls. They will overmate and could possibly kill the hens. Please protect those girls!

 

[Chels1234]

Can anyone walk me through trying to help my other egg! She’s still moving in there and I need to help her and she’s 4 days over due. I created a viewing hole and she hasn’t internally pipped but I need to know how to help her!

 

[oregonkat]

@WVduckchick any suggestions?

 

[Chels1234]

The membrane is mostly white and not many veins

 

[WVduckchick]

If it hasn’t internally popped, then it likely hasn’t absorbed all the yolk, so assisting probably won’t help.

But since you’ve opened it, moisten the exposed membrane with vaseline or coconut oil, and see how the blood vessels look once they are wet.