Abandoned duck eggs

[SedonaSunset]

My first ever post here. My husband and I recently were given two Muscovy Ducks and the hen proceeded to lay and sit on 8 eggs. 34 days later as they were starting to hatch, a predator got 6 of the eggs and the hen abandoned the last 2. We have no incubator. One egg just started to pip. We have them under a heat lamp at about 99 degrees. Misting them occasionally with warm water but the heat lamp seems to dry them up so fast. Are we doing this right or wrong? Any suggestions? Thanks!

 

[RubyNala97]

! 99 degrees is perfect. Can you place wet sponges around the eggs and damp paper towels or bowls of warm water (just remove the bowls right after the ducklings hatch to avoid drowning). You want to keep humidity high right now, so you want to do all you can to get moisture around those eggs. Good luck and update if you need anymore help.

 

[SedonaSunset]

we wrapped the eggs in damp paper towels. Just woke up to spray them again. Pretty sure the one egg has no duck, only liquid inside. The other has not progressed. I'm concerned the membrane is stuck to him and he can't move. He's peeping but breathing heavy. Also concerned that if he does survive, he will be lonely. Should we get another if he makes it?

 

[RubyNala97]

we wrapped the eggs in damp paper towels. Just woke up to spray them again. Pretty sure the one egg has no duck, only liquid inside. The other has not progressed. I'm concerned the membrane is stuck to him and he can't move. He's peeping but breathing heavy. Also concerned that if he does survive, he will be lonely. Should we get another if he makes it?

First, how long has he been pipped? Was the pip near the fat end of the egg? Ducks take a long time to make progress, could be up to 48 hours for him to start zipping. Have you candled the second egg? Shine a small, bright LED flashlight into the fat end (aircell) and look under that for signs of life.
I hatched a single duckling in spring. She fully imprinted on me and my family and lives in the house with us, as our pet. She thinks she's more human then duck. it's a huge commitment, I would highly suggest getting another duckling if you plan on this one living outside. I wonder if the mother would take it back? Or is she done sitting all together?

 

[SedonaSunset]

We found the egg yesterday afternoon around 5. It was a cool day and the hen had not been on the nest since sometime early that morning, whenever something attacked it. We figured the eggs were dead. We noticed the one had a star crack from the pip and peeled it back a little only to discover the baby was still alive! That's when I started searching this site for what to do. The pip is at the fat end. Pretty sure mother is done with the nest, although she investigated it yesterday morning, then left again, which we thought was strange before realizing what had happened. She showed a little interest in the peeping egg when we set it near her but then she ignored it.

 

[RubyNala97]

I'm going to copy and paste from another post I replied to with a similar situation (except a chicken egg instead of duck egg but it applies to both)....
"Does the hole where he pipped seem to be turning tan or brown? There are two membranes. The outter membrane and the inner membrane. The outter membrane looks like paper and is right under the shell and usually what you see when the shell is cracked. Inside of that is the inner membrane. This is connected to the chick and holds the veins/blood that the chick is absorbing while its pipped. If you do need to help the chick out, you can't until all the veins have been absorbed by the chick. If you rip a vein in that inner membrane the chick can bleed out. Also, the chick is absorbing yolk too, which most likely won't be fully absorbed until the veins are. You can moisten that inner membrane and check for veins. This will let you know if the chick is ready or not."

If it reaches 48 hours or you think the duckling is In distress you can take tweezers and gently pull back some of the outter membrane from the pip. You can locate the inner membrane and moisten a qtip with warm water and apply it to the inner membrane (don't get any water in the ducklings nostrils). When the inner membrane is moistened you can see the veins more easily. You don't want to make a hole to big because the more you expose the inner membrane the faster it will dry out. If you need to investigate and check that inner membrane you can put some kind of lubricant (bacitracin, coconut oil, Vaseline) on the inner membrane. This will keep it pliable and soft, otherwise it dries out and gets hard and sticky. Just keep monitoring the duckling. If the duckling is yawning that means it's still absorbing the yolk. I've hatched ducks, it's a long process. Some of mine took 4 days. Ducks are twice as long as chickens. Can you see the bill or is it just a crack in the shell for now?

 

[SedonaSunset]

Baby duck just emerged from the egg and is drying off. Still had some yolk attached but thrashed a few times and broke the chord. We sterilized scissors and cut the chord to an inch. Just got home from buying two week-old baby Muscovies to keep him company and so he will imprint as a duck and not just human. How long does it take for them to dry off and start eating and drinking?

 

[SquawkingEagle]

i have hatched mallards before and i gave them some duckling feed after they dried off, they dont tend to be hungry because the yolk keeps them full for a bit. Im pretty sure most people wait 12-24 hours before they feed them. Not sure about Muscovy's though

 

[SedonaSunset]

Our new babies!

 

[RubyNala97]

Congrats on the hatcher!! You did it! If there is still some yolk exposed you can swab it with bacitracin and it should absorb in a few hours. It takes them a few hours to gain their strength and get on their feet. You can offer water and food right away, even though he may not take to it for awhile. The older ones will teach him how to eat and drink. Just make sure he gets lots of rest for the first 24 hours. I'm so happy for you!