capemuscovies
In the Brooder
Here's a video of the baby moving. I originally thought it was TWO babies, because the the head and body were so far apart. Here's a bit of an info summary to catch you up:
I found this egg on the pavement near a nest, the mother would not take it back into her nest. It's a Muscovy duck egg, I'm sure. I've been keeping in a homemade incubator. I can't afford to buy a real incubator, not even a good thermometer or proper supplies. It was originally in with a lamp and water dish with sponge for humidity. Since the lamp broke, the egg is now on a heating pad on medium.
I didn't know that the heating pad automatically turns off after two hours, so I woke up after the first night on the heating pad and it was off. The egg was freezing cold, after candling with no movement the egg was presumed dead. I headed outside to do an autopsy. I started by breaking the air pocket. Acter making a medium sized hole, ONLY THEN did I realize the baby was still alive. I panicked and put a piece of ziplock bag plastic over the hole, and secured that with a good bit of tape. She's back in the incubator being monitored. It's been about six hours from the incident and she is doing great as far as I can tell.
My questions:
-What's the chance of the duckling making it to hatch?
-Has this ever happened before? If so, did the duckling survive or how long did it live?
-Can I turn the egg safely?
-If not, is it safe to leave the egg in one place til she hatches?
-HOW OLD IS THE EGG approximately?
-Does the neck look normal? It looks extrodinarily long which is worrying me.
