One possibility is that the eggs are not loosing enough moisture during incubation. This would cause the air sacks to not be large enough for the hatching progress. I personally would keep the humidity between 30-50 the first 21 days.
If all the eggs are from the same duck genetics could also...
The weights are affected by the amount of moisture each egg is loosing.
No veins is an indicator that the developing chick died. At almost 2 weeks you should be able to see the chicks moving inside the eggs. As far as the egg you can't see into, is it because the egg shell is to hard to see...
I think you probably understand that any duckling with Cayuga and Buff is mixed breed. They are definitely colorful ducklings. The color variety is great. I have gotten blue ducks in my mixed flock. Sometimes my ducklings look nothing like the parents. Good luck in your studying of the...
I have not had any problems due to chicks eating layer. The Problem would be a build up overtime, so I personally don't worry about chicks getting some layer feed here and there. One bag shouldn't be a problem.
Lower ranking hens can sometimes be harsher to new comers than those higher in the pecking order. That being said your chicks will learn to escape from her if you leave them to it. Keep the fence with the hole and show them how to escape. Add more places to hide and let them go in and out of...
Many people put chicks in with older hens as soon as they do not require heat. Your chick does not need heat, but you need to make sure it doesn't get to warm.
With a single chick you do need to be cautious when placing it with your older pullers as they might consider it an intruder.
What...
Do you want the chicken to hatch the chicken eggs? If so remove all eggs not developing and use fencing to keep the duck away.
The light from a cell phone when it is dark can help you figure out which eggs are developing. If you don't want chicks remove all the eggs and block off the nest.
At what age do you plan to take the chicks? The mom would likely ween by 6 weeks. If you are planning on pulling them when tiny make sure she is up moving around with them before removal?
Blue Silkie cross in standard coop has 4 chicks over a month old. Leghorn cross has 3 chicks about a month old. Small dark grey with white has neck issue.
I'm going to try to remember to put notes about our mamas and chicks here. I seem to loose track of what all the mamas have.
Current chicks.
3 with white silky cross seem to be being weened. 1 splash has a neck issue that seems to be happening in a few chicks this year. 1 single chick with a...
If you truly meant internal pip, you will probably need to move the duckling before the others hatch. There is not a rush as the duckling can live on the yolk sac for a couple of days.
When dry "hatching" I still raise the humidity to 60 for lockdown. For my environment that is only a small surface area of water. I am not familiar with anyone keeping the humidity any lower than 60 for the actual hatch.
Yes your other hens will want to gobble the chick food. It won't hurt them. It is actually good for them just put enough out so there is always food.
I have over 30 birds in my coop at a time. It can raise costs significantly to let them all eat chick foo, and I have trained chicks to go in a...
Glad it is working well for the op. I seem to get multiple broodies frequently. The way it will work out is different each time. Like mentioned above where chicks and moms are just one big group happens, but in my standard coop I am more likely to see something else. Some broodies don't let...