Attempting to save a cracked egg

[TheDaringDucks]

It's on day 18/28. I haven't seen any obvious movement, but it also isn't sloshing. All the signs seem contradictory at the moment, hence my unwillingness to give up yet. The state of the veins (the new small ones, and big ones that are still holding their shape even if it is a touch muddled) being the biggest point of confusion so far. If it were dead, I feel like I wouldn't be seeing those (they are SUPER thin veins but very distinct and clear). I'd take a picture but my phone camera isn't good enough to capture the detail of how small it is.

 

[Tim79]

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

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.)
View attachment 4086161

we had a similar incident when we were canceling our Orpington eggs. I quickly lit a t light candle and sealed it with the wax. The egg hatched and chick is doing fine. I will add nothing was leaking from the egg more of a dent than crack .

 

[TheDaringDucks]

Late day 5 update:

I tried getting a better picture to show the veins in question that I thought I could see. And I have to say, I do this this little one is still alive. I'm like... 75% positive of that. The veins are still red, as though moving fresh blood.

Ointment mixture protocol is continuing as previously mentioned with an increased frequency of application for 2 times per day.

These ones are hard to see. But I swear they are there.

 

[My15Ducks]

I don’t think it looks far enough along for 18 days. I wouldn’t give up, but I don’t think it looks alive

 

[TheDaringDucks]

I don’t think it looks far enough along for 18 days. I wouldn’t give up, but I don’t think it looks alive

You make a good point about the size. I don't think it has increased visually over the last couple days. Not a good sign

 

[CatInTheHenHouse]

I wish I could share a video of the movement, but I'm not sure how to add that on this forum.

Bearing in mind it might be different on mobile:

Upload it to YouTube, then in the post click the three dots to the right of the chain link icon. That should expand to a menu with more icons; click the one that looks like film frames (third from the left) and put the url of the YouTube video in the box that comes up asking for the url.

 

[romea]

And then what happened?

 

[TheDaringDucks]

And then what happened?

Sorry for the delay in update, life gets busy. Ended up with 20 other ducklings to care for. Anyways, sadly I gave the egg as much time as I could and it showed no signs of further development and finally the blood vessels disappeared and there started to be a faint smell. It also started to loose the dark silhouette of the ducklings, as though it was disintegrating, so I presumed it dead.