Duck egg pipped but I'm worried....advice needed please!

[jonpop]

Hello

It's day 25 in our homemade incubator and we were preparing to 'lockdown' but when I got up this morning the egg had pipped. I mean I think it's pipped - it's not how I expected it to happen.

There is a small piece of shell missing on the pointy end of the egg but the membrane underneath is intact. I thought the duck would internally pip into the air sac at the fat end and then break the shell after that? We've never heard any cheeping or seen the egg rocking abut (although when I turned it yesterday I could feel the duckling moving inside the egg - very exciting!)

I don't want to interfere but I'm really nervous so I'd just like to know what to expect - has something gone wrong? Do I need to do anything? Is it likely that the duckling will die? Any advice would be great thank you (P.S it's an Aylesbury duck - in case they hatch differently to other breeds!)

Thanks, Kelly

[jonpop]

A small update - not really an update I suppose, more an observation...but I'm now not certain that the membrane is still intact - I think I can see pale yellow 'feathers' moving through the hole in the shell - there is DEFINATELY movement through the hole in the egg so the duckling is still alive right now...It's hard to see now though as the viewing window is fogged up due to the increased humidity and I'm having to peer through a ventilation hole to see anything! I just wish it would start cheeping - everything I've read about hatching eggs say the baby will start cheeping like mad but ours isn't saying a word. Kelly

[shirlthegirl43]

I have no experience of hatching eggs but hope your little duckling is out of its shell soon

[RichmondHens]

Somebody else posted a similar thing about a chick recently. I have to say, leave it alone. It is early, and chances are it is sitting absorbing the yolk sac. The only time I start to help chicks out is when they are late, obviously very keen to get out (lots of loud cheeping) but seem to be having trouble. Your duckling is 3 days early and quiet so I would leave it be and chances are it will make it out just fine when it is ready.

[BigJim]

They tend to have a long rest between the external pip and the massive effort of cutting a lid - particulary if there are no other eggs/ducklings to encourage the little guy on.

If you can see feathers, it's likely there isn't a membrane in the way (they tend to go white and opaque when they dry out). If it has pipped at the opposite end to the air sac, it probably won't have enough room to get out on its own - but wait a wee while longer as they are very weak if they don't do it themselves.

The duckling should cheep in response to you cheeping at it, or gentle movements of the egg.

[petal]

Leave well alone for a bit, if you remove a mm of membrane and it bleeds then you will know. Opening the incubator will ruin humidity and dry membrane out, then it won't hatch at all!

[Glutton4...]

You're hatching ONE egg!?

[jonpop]

Thanks for all the advice. The hole in the shell has got a little bigger through the day and the membrane has a hole in it - if I speak to the egg the duckling pokes his bill through the hole and there is movement (but still no chirping) We are hatching just the one egg - but not through choice. We bought 6 from Ebay, 4 were empty after 6 days and one started to smell (horrendously) after a couple of weeks, so we're just left with 1. I know that a single duckling will be unhappy so we're going to pick up a couple more ducklings coming later in the week to keep him/her company. Hoping there is some progress overnight so that I can stop fretting - my nerves are shredded! Kelly

[reetnproper]

Ohh! Don't have livestock at all here but I hope your little chap/chappess is ok and is there to greet you in the morning. Try not to worry

Reet
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[BigJim]

With the movement and a decent hole for air, things are looking good so far. Keep the humidity high and if no further shell cracking has happened by tomorrow evening I'd help a little, but it does sound like they'll make it on their own.

I'm not convinced about eggs through the post - I picked up 6 eggs from Northumberland on my way home and all 6 hatched, got 6 more off Ebay and only 3 hatched and the air sacs were weird shapes. I can imagine having all your hopes on one last egg is tough so good luck.

[petal]

I have bought eggs via post elsewhere and they have been fine! Its just ebay that has been disastrous.

[RichmondHens]

There's an awful lot of unscrupulous people out there. One of the breeders I visited a couple of weeks ago sells his eggs on E bay. Given the state of the birds I would be surprised if any hatch, the birds all looked so below par in the health stakes, poor things.

[Glutton4...]

I've bought on eBay, but always locally, so I could collect them. I don't fancy their chances much with the way the postal system treats 'fragile' parcels.

[jonpop]

Sad news I'm afraid, the duckling made good progress overnight and made himself a good sized hole in the shell and the membrane. He never peepedor moved the egg around but he did move his bill when I spoke to him. All was going well until lunchtime today - I checked on him and he'd stopped moving, I tried calling him and jogging the incubator but he never responded. I took the egg out and he was dead. I've not cracked the egg open but when I looked at the membrane the blood vessels were still there and not dried up or anything. I didn't like to crack the egg and have it bleed everywhere - we're all dead upset as it is.

So, that's that. I feel awful - we made a homemade incubator and I wonder if they'd have had a better chance in a proper one (although our temps and humidity were excellent throughout) and I wish I'd given him a hand this morning - we spoke about it but he appeared to be managing on his own so we left him to it. Anyway, never again - we'll buy ducklings next time, I don't think I could cope with this much worry and heartache all over again!

Thanks for all the supportive messages - I'm really grateful (and I'll let you know how we get on if/when we get some ducklings)

Thanks, Kelly

[reetnproper]

(((((hugs)))) Really sorry to hear that he didn't make it.

Reet
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