breach duckling, hatching 4 days early with two air cells!

[Kimmyh51]

Update:
It's breach, with a second air space. I finally took a deep breath and hooked into the membrane, after I realised I was seeing faeces at the wrong end. Chipped some shell away downward and came across a second air cell, and a beak! Little one is jammed right in the wrong end with faeces across its wee face which is till undr the membrane, just waiting for the blood vessels to finish drying out which is mostly don't but just a little bit of blood there that I am waiting on. Hoping it has absorbed the yolk as there isn't enough egg shell left where it's bottom is to sit it there if the yolk is still out.

I've had breaches before, but not an egg with two air cells!

HELP,

I have a duckling that's not due till Sat or Sun, been making audible peeps for over 24hrs with no external pip. I took a bit of shell off and I cannot see any evidence of an internal pip...

But I don't understand how I can hear it peeping if it has not internally pipped?

The membrane round the air cell is moving up and down regularly, almost as if the duckling is blowing air out underneath it.


I don't know what to do now.. I've heard it crunch crunch crunching non stop for the last day but no sign of any external pip, worried it will get exhausted but don't want to break the membrane

How the heck is it chirping to me??

 

[Kimmyh51]

Here's a photo

 

[Kimmyh51]

Anyone???

 

[Kimmyh51]

Is there no one online who can tell me if it's possible for a duckling to be making chirps I can hear WITHOUT having internally pipped?

I'm worried the membrane is drying out, despite having a moist tissue around the egg, and the duckling might not be able to breathe if it gets shrink wrapped, but I don't want to open the membrane especially given its not due till sat or sun. It looks like some blood vessels have been reducing, but there is no sign at all of a pip in the membrane, I'm so confused, it's chirping all the time....

Someone, anyone, please advise me

 

[Knighstar679]

Try using oil on a q-tip instead of the paper towel. It will prevent the shrink wrapping and also give you a better view of what’s going on in the membrane.

 

[Kimmyh51]

Try using oil on a q-tip instead of the paper towel. It will prevent the shrink wrapping and also give you a better view of what’s going on in the membrane.

Thanks I realised after that I had some gynaecological serum a nurse friend gave me which had been really good last time in keeping membranes moist, so I used that. Baby's beak is out now and most the head. It turned out to be breach with a second smaller air cell that it had pipped into. It's just sleeping now, I'm leaving it as is for now to let any remaining veins dry out, yolk sac absorb etc. there's a lot of poop in there though and I read somewhere they don't poop till they start breathing air, not sure if that's correct, but if so it must have pipped a while ago... It was quite dry in its little second air cell. And now I know why the membrane was going up and down when I broke into the main air cell, it was air bring breathed out by the duckling at the other end of the egg

Strangest hatch I've had so far.... Just hoping it absorbs yolk sac ok, and hangs in there till it's ready to come out.
It's little beak was kinda squished sideways a bit because it was squashed into the pointy end...

 

[Knighstar679]

Thanks I realised after that I had some gynaecological serum a nurse friend gave me which had been really good last time in keeping membranes moist, so I used that. Baby's beak is out now and most the head. It turned out to be breach with a second smaller air cell that it had pipped into. It's just sleeping now, I'm leaving it as is for now to let any remaining veins dry out, yolk sac absorb etc. there's a lot of poop in there though and I read somewhere they don't poop till they start breathing air, not sure if that's correct, but if so it must have pipped a while ago... It was quite dry in its little second air cell. And now I know why the membrane was going up and down when I broke into the main air cell, it was air bring breathed out by the duckling at the other end of the egg

Strangest hatch I've had so far.... Just hoping it absorbs yolk sac ok, and hangs in there till it's ready to come out.
It's little beak was kinda squished sideways a bit because it was squashed into the pointy end...

I lost one that hatched that way. My best advice is watch how strong it is sounding. But glad you found out what was going on.

 

[Kimmyh51]

Update: my little Millie Was finally assisted to hatch at around 4am Thursday morning and is doing well so far. A little bit of shell stayed with Millie another 30 hrs until the cord dried enough to cut it free. So from hearing Millie chirping at around 1pm on Tuesday it took another 39 hrs before Millie was hatched, and another 30 hours before the cord could be cut. Millie is due today, Sat!

Although at the time, I was terrified of finding a duckling that had not internally pipped at all (and wondering if my understanding that chirping isnt possible without an internal pip was somehow incorrect or had exceptions) and killing the duckling.... Now I am pretty sure that Millie was starting to run out of air in the small second air cell, as there had been tapping but no chirping for sometime. when I did up the shell further and broke into the membrane on Wednesday afternoon Millie immediately started chirping at me. So in this case, Im glad I did go in!

Millie has curled up toes and one leg tends to drag behind the other so not walking yet.

I have taped little cardboard 'shoes' to Millies feet and have been helping Millie stand up to eat, in the hope that this will get the leg muscles used to sthe right position and balance for standing, then walking. Unassisted Millie tries to crawl, or launch him/herself face forward at the ground. I had another duckling with a similar issue in one foot last year which sorted itself with the shoes, so hopefully it wont stop Millie walking normally in the long run, I am assuming its because the duckling was really squished into the pointy end of the egg. Millie's beak is ever so slightly off centre as well, but bottom and top are lined up and Millie is not having any trouble drinking or eating, and gripping things with his/her beak.

Millie definately would never have made it out without assistance, and while I personally have learnt the hard way about assisting too early, I am very happy I did assist this little one into the world.