I’m writing this the day after egg #3 and #4’s dramatic assisted hatch — a full 24-hour process. I’m happy to report that they are healthy and well.
Meet Huey and Dewey!
As promised on the original reddit thread that brought these duckies into my life, their names have now been made official.
Up Next: Eggs #8 & #9
Following right on the tail of Huey and Dewey are siblings #8 and #9.
I cannot overstate the relief I felt this morning seeing that both had successfully pipped their shells — a hopeful sign that the rest of the hatch may proceed smoothly, without intervention.
It goes without saying: whoever hatches next must be named Louie.
If you’d like to follow along, I’ve set up a livestream here:
📸 Huey & Dewey Photo Dump
For those curious about what went into their arrival…
Assisted hatches are only done when absolutely necessary.
The challenge is that it’s difficult to know whether there are still active blood vessels in the membrane beneath the shell. Removing even a small section too early can tear the membrane before it’s ready, which can cause the hatchling to bleed.
In this case, I drilled a small emergency air hole in egg #4 after it had internally pipped for more than 24 hours but failed to pip externally. The same was done for egg #3.
Drilling an emergency air hole in egg #4.
From there, the hatch was carried out very slowly — giving the blood vessels time to recede and allowing the ducklings to continue the process as independently as possible.
An assisted hatch is done very slowly to allow the blood vessels to recede and give hatchlings a chance to continue independently.
All told, the hatch unfolded over roughly five sessions, stretching from evening into the following morning.
Huey in the foreground, while Dewey rests wrapped in moist paper towels in the background.
Dewey (L) and Huey (R) resting in the incubator. At this stage, they were still attached to their shells via their umbilical cords and needed to remain in place until the shells detached naturally.
Slowly drying off in the warmth.
They spent a full night in the incubator to rest and finish drying.
By morning, both were fully fluffed up and supervising my morning brew.
After a full night in the hatching incubator, both ducklings had fluffed up and were full of lively little peeps. It couldn’t have been better timing — eggs #8 and #9 had just externally pipped.
With Huey and Dewey ready for the brooder box, I was able to clean and reset the hatching unit for the next arrivals.
Huey and Dewey’s brooder box. They’ll graduate to a larger one when their siblings arrive.
Tucking in under the heating plate, which keeps them warm like a mother duck would.
And that brings us to the present — it is now egg #8 and #9’s turn.
So when will #8 & #9 emerge?
Pekin ducklings typically take 24 to 48 hours to hatch after the initial external pip.
It is normal for them to rest for 12–24 hours after making the first hole before they start "zipping" (cutting around the shell).
This means we should probably see more hatching action by Sunday night into early Monday morning.
Here’s to hoping they’ll manage just fine on their own! 🤞
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More updates to come. 🧡🐤
xoxo
P
