Hi everyone,

My mom and I are hatching call duck eggs in incubators for the first time, and we have two that are very close to emerging. They are both wiggling actively, though I haven't heard any peeping from inside yet. The one closest to hatching has visible cracks in the shell that appeared the day before yesterday, radiating from one spot where the duckling apparently was attempting to make a pip mark. However, there's no actual hole yet, and the shell is not pushed out in that area - all we have are cracks at the moment. I know the baby is still alive, and the humidity and temp in the incubator are really good right now, but we're still waiting for something more significant to happen. Is it normal for it to take this long for hatching to actually begin after cracking, or might the shell be too hardened for the duckling to handle? I know helping them out of the shell is not out of the question under certain circumstances, but I don't want to go that route unless I'm sure it's necessary. Could somebody with experience in this area give me some advice?

Thanks!