Looky what i just did!*Update pics post #55!*Ducks have Hatched!!*

[critter crazy]

Well we have 11 hatched now!! Hopefully more o the way.

[Lori Jordan]

Yay!!!

[critter crazy]

we had two late bloomer show up Sat morning!! he he he he he! beter late than never! So a total of 13 chicks! not too bad, just about a 50% hatch, which is the norm for incubator hatching.

And we have 3 duck eggs that have pipped, so hopefully tomarrow we will have baby ducks!

[chocolatepuppy]

This is so much fun, I bet you're really enjoying watching all of those babies hatch! Can't wait to see the ducks.

[critter crazy]

We have our First Duck!!! Yay!! we have a little yellow Quacker!!

[cassiesmom]

Critter Crazy, would there be any reason why they would not all hatch? (What would cause a chick or duck to not survive all the way to hatching?) You mentioned that they're exhausted from breaking out of their shells ... do you ever have to help one break out? I think I read somewhere that the chick needs to use all its muscles and strength to break itself out, and that it can be bad for the chick to be assisted too much.

When our office was in the old location, we had a pair of Canada geese. We called them Mother and Gander. They made a nest in our parking lot, on a little island under a tree. Stubborn Mother sat out there in the cold, wind, rain - we couldn't figure out why she wouldn't have put it in a more protected location. But there it was. Gander was such a meanie to people trying to walk from the parking lot to the office that we had to warn people not to park too close to them. We had 4 babies that year. They were little green fluff balls at first and it was so cute how they followed Mother around, and Gander followed them. The following year the nest was built in a new place, but the mother goose disappeared from it and the eggs didn't survive. We weren't sure if she got hit by a car or an animal got her. In our current location the 'geese police' keep them on the move so they can't start setting up nests. They sure are big.

[critter crazy]

Critter Crazy, would there be any reason why they would not all hatch? (What would cause a chick or duck to not survive all the way to hatching?) You mentioned that they're exhausted from breaking out of their shells ... do you ever have to help one break out? I think I read somewhere that the chick needs to use all its muscles and strength to break itself out, and that it can be bad for the chick to be assisted too much.

When our office was in the old location, we had a pair of Canada geese. We called them Mother and Gander. They made a nest in our parking lot, on a little island under a tree. Stubborn Mother sat out there in the cold, wind, rain - we couldn't figure out why she wouldn't have put it in a more protected location. But there it was. Gander was such a meanie to people trying to walk from the parking lot to the office that we had to warn people not to park too close to them. We had 4 babies that year. They were little green fluff balls at first and it was so cute how they followed Mother around, and Gander followed them. The following year the nest was built in a new place, but the mother goose disappeared from it and the eggs didn't survive. We weren't sure if she got hit by a car or an animal got her. In our current location the 'geese police' keep them on the move so they can't start setting up nests. They sure are big.

There are many reasons why Chicks dont hatch. One the chick might have health issues, making it too weak to break out of the shell. There could also be issues with wrong temperature and humidity. There are many reasons. And unfortunately nothing you can do about it. If they dont hatch, there is usually a good reason, it just wasnt meant to be. I feel bad about it, but I can only do so much

As far as helping chicks, it is discouraged. If you help a chick hatch, it could be too early, and the chick wasnt ready yet, there fore making the chick Vulnerable. If a chick dosent have enough power to hatch out of the shell on its own, it will likely be a weak chick, and wont survive! So best to leave them on their own.

I had one of my chicks, die during hatching, poor little guy only got his beak out, and just didnt make it any further. It was quite sad.