No. 3

Smithski asked if I could take a pic of one of the ducklings emerging from the egg. This was the closest I got as it's all been far too exciting and worrying when they actually did escape from their little shells and I was too busy helping the little birds out to take pics.

But this is No. 3 duckling half an hour after hatching at about 10.30 this morning. Still damp and sticky and very wobbly.

No. 2 hatched around 8.30 and by the time this one was being photographed it was out in the nursery being rather over enthusiastically welcomed by big sister.

No. 4 gave us a little bit of concern. That's it in the right of this pic. The hole in the shell stayed about this size for most of the day. Ruairidh gave it a little bit of help by removing a tiny bit more of the shell when he came back from school. (You have to avoid breaking the membrane inside the shell as the duckling can still be attached to it.) It made a little more progress and was loudly cheaping away at us so we reckoned it was OK. When Steven got home he broke off some more shell and it finally hatched around 9pm.

It appears to be healthy enough but very tired and we are keeping a close eye on it to make sure it's strong enough before we take it out of the incubator and put it with it's siblings. Who are now all sleeping in a fluffy huddle.



BTW The instrument you can see is a humidity meter. Humidity needs to be kept high so that the ducklings don't dry out and get stuck inside the egg.