What is the right thing to do and do newborn ducklings need to be helped to hatch in an incubator? Why do some eggs lie for a long time without hatching? Such questions are faced by farmers trying to raise poultry on their own. To understand exactly what to do, you should turn to nature for a hint: how a duck behaves in such cases. Or study the experience of leading poultry farmers.
Do ducklings need to be helped to hatch?
Of course, situations are different. If the egg squeaks, moves, but does not hatch, you should provide assistance to the chick.Approximately between the 19th and 22nd day, the birth of ducklings should begin. It is believed that this period is most suitable for the birth of strong, healthy ducklings.
When the chick cannot break through the shell on his own, he will have to come to the rescue. Do not forget that in the incubator the conditions for maturing eggs are artificial, different from natural ones. Therefore, the shell can dry out and become harder.
But if the ducklings themselves are able to free themselves from the egg, they should not interfere under any circumstances. Only options will be considered when newborn chicks cannot do without human help.
How to do it?
The first sign that the chicks need help is a steady squeak throughout the day without any effect. This means that for some reason the duckling does not have enough strength to break through the shell and get out. Then the newborn should be helped to hatch from the egg. To do this, the shell is first illuminated to determine where the beak is located. Then proceed with extreme caution. You need to peel off the outer shell without damaging the film underneath. This algorithm is dictated by caring for the chick.
Through the resulting window in the film, you can see how much the supposed location coincides with the actual one. If this is successful, you don’t need to do anything further.
The chick will expand the hole itself and climb out of the shell. You should be extremely careful in areas where blood vessels are visible. If they are damaged without care, the duckling will freeze. Or even his death.
Also, you cannot forcibly tear off the inner film from the chick. You can remove it in the following 2 ways:
- lightly sprinkling warm water on the duckling;
- gently wiping the baby with a wet cotton pad or gauze swab.
No other actions are permitted. And even then, you need to handle the duckling extremely carefully so as not to harm it.
Does duck help with hatching?
Under natural conditions, poultry behaves differently. It happens that a duck, carelessly sitting on eggs, even crushes some of them. Therefore, the incubator method is more reliable. Sometimes ducks help the chicks break through the shell. But, given the size of the beak, such actions can often lead to injury and death of newborns.
In any case, the hen is waiting for all the chicks to hatch. If for some reason this does not happen, the bird becomes restless, screams, and attracts attention. Do not forget that in natural conditions the brooding periods are different. On average, they range from 28 to 35 days, which is not suitable in the conditions of a mini-farm or mass production. It is better not to rely on the duck if you still choose a natural method of hatching, but to carefully help the problem chicks.
