Lpskitfit
Songster
- Oct 5, 2020
- 93
- 85
- 101
Hey guys! Mg ducklings started to externally pip last night around 1:30 am. One egg had a slight crack and nothing more. I got home yesterday and still nothing more. I could hear it chirping and pecking but it just wasn't going to get anywhere. My mallard lays eggs with really thick shells and I'm surprised the duckling cracked it at all. It became clear around 12 am that the duckling wasn't going to break the shell on its own and I worried it might suffocate, so I peeled off a tiny bit of the shell from the part of the egg that was cracked (a little bigger than a toothpick sized hole) and went to sleep. It's been 5 hours and there's been absolutely no progress made. I got worried so I gently tapped the bator and it chirped for me. The other duckling managed to get its beak through but, like the other duckling, has stopped making progress. It hasn't gotten the hole any bigger since around 10 pm. I'm worried because I have an after school event that won't put me home until around 10:30 or 11:30 that's mandatory. Are they at risk of drying out between now and then? At what point do I need to start peeling the egg by hand? I'm no longer worried about suffocation but this is my first hatch!
They're on day 29.
You can see his little beak poking through .p if anyone wants me to add a video of him cheeping with his beak slightly out I will!
Edit!!: I decided to break the hole a little bigger since I figured it couldn't hurt anything and it looks like he was a big malpositioned. I went ahead and broke what I could (I used vaseline to keep the membrane moist) and the little guy talked to me the whole time. Seems like a healthy mallard in there! I really don't want to help anymore than is absolutely necessary because I know it can do more harm than good. I was going to wait until tonight but with how long I'll be gone (and how much I don't trust my mom to do it), I decided to do it now and go back to sleep before school. Does it sound it look like the white egg is going to need any assistance? What are the odds of my mallard breaking through on its own?
You can see where I had to stop because there were active veins.
They're on day 29.
You can see his little beak poking through .p if anyone wants me to add a video of him cheeping with his beak slightly out I will!
Edit!!: I decided to break the hole a little bigger since I figured it couldn't hurt anything and it looks like he was a big malpositioned. I went ahead and broke what I could (I used vaseline to keep the membrane moist) and the little guy talked to me the whole time. Seems like a healthy mallard in there! I really don't want to help anymore than is absolutely necessary because I know it can do more harm than good. I was going to wait until tonight but with how long I'll be gone (and how much I don't trust my mom to do it), I decided to do it now and go back to sleep before school. Does it sound it look like the white egg is going to need any assistance? What are the odds of my mallard breaking through on its own?
You can see where I had to stop because there were active veins.
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