Attempting to save a cracked egg

[TheDaringDucks]

Welp, nature can be unpredictable at times, and that unfortunately means that at some point while one of my broody duck hens knocked one of her eggs about enough to give it a couple good dents. I'm not sure how long ago this happened, so I'm hoping I can save the egg and thought I'd document it as I go. Maybe this will prove helpful for someone else in the future if they have the same issue.

So. The embryo looked similar in its stage of development as the other eggs in the clutch, so I am guessing the crack is newer or the crack hasn't killed the ducklings inside yet. (I don't see a blood ring, but I am a novice at this, so I could be wrong.) The egg is 14 days into its 28 day cycle so we are just halfway. Pretty nerve wracking.

So far my plan is the following:

1. Gently apply triple antibiotic cream, to the cracks to mitigate bacteria.
2. Gently apply a spritz of antimicrobial silver spray, also to mitigate bacteria. (I figure the doubling up on the antimicrobial/antibacterial properties could be beneficial)
3. Gently apply coconut oil to stabilize the moisture and reduce dehydration.
4. Apply liquid bandage to the cracks to seal in all the previously applied materials.
5. Place in a pre-prepared incubator.
6. Hope and pray.

To all the veteran duck owners, if you have experience saving a cracked egg, I am wondering if this is a good plan. I also am not sure if I should plan on reapplying the Neosporin, silver spray, coconut oil, and liquid bandage over the next couple weeks or not. Also I would love to know if I missed anything else I could try to incorporate. I would love your thoughts on all of this.

And for anyone else wondering, I'll update with how this plan goes over the next couple weeks. Wish me luck!

(The dark area around the dent was from the triple antibiotic ointment soaking in. Not sure if that is a bad sign that maybe the egg was already too dehydrated, or if that's just because the ointment is particularly oily, but I'm going to hold out hope for now.)

 

[GodLovesU]

Watching

 

[My15Ducks]

I really don’t know if the antibiotic is a good idea or not, but I hope it works for you! I have only sealed eggs with beeswax and they hatched, but they weren’t as cracked as yours

 

[TheDaringDucks]

I really don’t know if the antibiotic is a good idea or not, but I hope it works for you! I have only sealed eggs with beeswax and they hatched, but they weren’t as cracked as yours

Yeah I was iffy on doing antibiotic ointment, weighing the risk of bacterial contamination versus how the ointment might affect the embryo. In the end, I figured bacteria is for sure going to be bad for the egg, while the ointment could be good or bad, so it was a risk I was willing to take.

But I guess I'll have to wait and see what the outcome is to know if I made the right choice. And even then, there's so many other factors that could change the outcome, so whose to say if I'd even be able to narrow down the determining factor to the ointment or not.

I should DEFINITELY get some emergency beeswax though, just to keep on hand!

 

[TheDaringDucks]

Day 2 Update:

I am tentatively optimistic to report that I believe the egg is still going strong. It looks to have distinct veins and no blood ring (I think I could see a pulse! Hard to say for sure because my hands were a little shaky, but maybe!) and I think I saw movement in reaction to the candling light. Also, I haven't noticed any foul smells as of yet, so that's promising!

The dark area where I applied the ointment as seen in my initial post had all been absorbed and looked perfectly dry once more.

Today, I reapplied about just a "maintenance amount" of all the materials I previously mentioned (more carefully this time by using a q-tip) just to ensure the dent is kept clean and moisturized, but trying to avoid over-applying. I think tomorrow I'll pre-mix the ointment, silver spray, and coconut oil (rather than applying them in 3 separate coats) to reduce how much time the egg is out of the incubator for treatment.

Looking forward to day 3.

 

[TheDaringDucks]

Day 3 update!

I can confirm my little egg is a survivor so far! Strong veins, a strongly delineated air sac, and... MOVEMENT! This little duck hasn't given up yet! And neither will I! I wish I could share a video of the movement, but I'm not sure how to add that on this forum.

I have continued applying ointment, silver spray, and coconut oil daily. As I mentioned yesterday, I decided it mix it all before applying it, which is a great way to ensure the it gets evenly spread and every crack gets a bit of all three.

I mixed it at the following ratios:
1 part triple antibiotic (neosporin)
2 parts manuka silver spray
3 parts coconut oil

I allowed that to sit for a bit in the warmth of the incubator, to allow it time to soak in, then applied with a q-tip a very sparing amount of liquid bandage.

I think I will use the level of absorption (the dark mark left behind by the ointment mixture) as a gauge as to whether or not I should continue applying liquid bandage. I don't want it to build up too much and completely cut off any gas/moisture exchange. Today, there wasn't much of a dark mark left around the cracks at all, so I think the liquid bandage from the previous day was still strong and present. I will be continuing the ointment mixture tomorrow, but if the dark mark it leaves is still as light as it was tonight, then I won't apply any further liquid bandage.

Onward to day 4!

 

[TheDaringDucks]

Day 4...

I'm a little apprehensive. This evening, checking on the egg, I couldn't see any movement and things are a little less clear today. I applied the ointment mixture, but I don't think it's looking good. I'm just not ready to give up hope yet. I moved this little one over to a separate incubator, so I can more easily tend to it without disturbing my other eggs. I'm praying this isn't the end.

 

[My15Ducks]

Yeah I wouldn’t give up yet, but unfortunately it doesn’t look good

 

[TheDaringDucks]

Early day 5 update:

I may have to call this lil thing Schrodinger's egg, because I cannot tell if it is dead or alive yet. Upon examination, I can clearly see new gossamer veins through parts of the egg where they were not at previously, and the bigger veins have not disintegrated yet (as other BYC posts indicate they do within hours of death). No obvious movement, but also no foul smell either. It really feels like a toss up. But I am going to continue to hold out hope! I've applied more ointment mixture already today, and it is leaving a bigger dark "wet" mark than before.

I did see another BYC post about a saving a cracked egg that indicated that coconut oil may need to be applied more frequently than other materials (such as mineral oil or vegetable oil). So I think I will increase how often I am applying that. I was only doing so once a day, but perhaps I should be doing so more often. I think I may start by increasing that to 2 times a day, but maybe up to 3 times depending on how the dark spot looks after 6 hours.

 

[My15Ducks]

What day is it on? If it’s alive it should have obvious movement and no sloshing