2 duckling eggs overdue.

[maxdecphoenix]

Hello all,

I recently incubated 7 eggs from my Cayuga & Mallard pair. Almost 4 days ago, I noticed pipping and could hear the occasional muffled peep. Yesterday, the first two hatched early in the day, followed by 2 more that evening. 5 hours ago, #5 hatched out.

While retrieving it from the incubator, I decided to inspect the other two eggs. There were no signs of fracturing. I returned them to their positions, jacked up the humidity, and left them alone. About an hour ago, I decided to try candling them. They were all healthy and vibrant when I last candled, which was hours before I noticed the first pipping. It took a weathered eye, but I eventually saw movement, and their shells are indicative that the babes are ready. I put them back in, jacked the humidity up again, and left them.

I continued to think about it. Their candling shows a large airsac, as if the yolk has been entirely depleted, and I can make out distinct shapes of their bill. Then I began to wonder if they weren't just too weak to break out. Would you consider helping them out? Family used to raise fowls when I was a boy, so I told myself I was going to let Nature have it's way, but when I look at them moving around and their little siblings peeping and whirling around like a hurricane enjoying life in their brooder, I'm compelled to act.

5 out of 7 have already hatched out, some already a day old. This was in a forced air incubator, so I just can't see how there would have been such a disparity in temp or moisture that these two would be so undeveloped.

Would you guys consider assisting them?


Here's a video of 4 playing in brooder this afternoon, before their 5th sibling joined them.

 

[BantamLover21]

If it were me, I would assist them. I know that many people say you shouldn't help chicks/ducklings out because they're probably too weak to live properly, but that hasn't been the case in my experience. Earlier this year, I had to completely help a bantam chick out of the egg after it pipped in the wrong end of the eggs. The chick was weak for a day or two, but is now a happy, healthy pullet that lays lots of large (for a bantam, that is) eggs.

Helping birds out the egg is a tricky process. I would first slowly peel away the large end, and then try to go further. If blood vessels begin to bleed, stop and let the egg rest for a while. Try to keep the egg warm and moist during this process.

 

[casportpony]

I've had to help many out this year and it was mostly because they were shrink-wrapped and malpositioned. The positoning problems I have seen have been beak over wing and feet over head, in both instances I could not see their beaks when candling.

Here are some pictures of some:

Feet over head - Was also shrink-wrapped, this is after I moistened the membrane and made a hole for it to breathe.


Feet over head


-Kathy

 

[casportpony]

Thought I should add how I go about assisting overdue eggs. First I candle the egg and mark the air sack with a pencil or pen. Then I pick a spot above were I think the beak might be and make a hole large enough to see if it has pipped internally. If it's overdue and hasn't pipped internally I try to figure out why... Like if it's shrink-wrapped, malpositioned or something else. If it's shrink-wrapped, I moisten the membrane and usually make a small hole for it to breathe. If there are blood vessels I stick it back in the incubator for at least 12 hours and hope for the best. After 12-24 hours I will slowly pick away more shell until the head is free, but if I find more blood I stop and back in it goes. Once the head is free I leave it alone in the incubator to do the rest.

Disclaimer: I am a novice when it comes to incubating eggs and have assisted several just to have them die, but I've also had quite a few die in the shell because I didn't assist, so go with your gut feeling.

-Kathy

 

[maxdecphoenix]

I must report back that last night I attempted some methods similar to what was described and upon noticing blood, way more than I figured should be out, I returned the egg to the incubator. Unfortunately, it has since expired. I proceeded to investigate by removing it from it's shell and found that the poor thing was not entirely developed. As best I can assume, by the size of it's umbilical region, it still needed, at minimum, another 3-5 days of incubation.

My only two guesses where that there was a temperature disparity in the incubator, which I am not entirely certain of as, 1) it was a forced air setup, 2) I shuffled the eggs about when turning/candling. or, perhaps it became infected at some time which slowed its 'gestation'.

I have decided to leave the one remaining egg alone for the time being. I am quite irritated by this and unsure why these eggs were so far behind the other 5.

 

[casportpony]

Sorry you lost the others, but how's the last one doing?

-Kathy