Duckling Hatching HELP!!!!!

[duckking]

No response in hatching thread and need help ASAP!!! Panicky first time hatcher, so any advice would be welcome!

Have 2 mallard/rouen eggs and 1 full rouen egg in incubator (Brinsea Mini Advanced). Today is hatch day (Day 28)

One mallard/rouen pipped and hatched yesterday within 2 hours. Just bulldozed out of the shell. She/He is fluffed, chirpy and active and has been in the incubator almost 24 hours. Keeps poking the side of the brooder and peeping whenever she sees me or my son come in. Should I move it to the brooder?

One Mallard/Rouen tented (cracked the shell) and then externally pipped 24 hours ago. Peeping and poking her bill through the hole, but not seeing anymore progress in 24 hours. Does it need help? And if so what should I do? The membrane around the hole is dryish, so I dampened it with a Q-tip, but I don't see any membrane around what I can see of the duckling in the shell, just a bill that keeps poking through and peeping.

One Rouen egg with a beautiful air cell, candled it and I am not seeing any movement. Is it dead? Should I just leave it for a while longer?

Temp is at 99.6 and humidity was around 73, but I boosted it up to about 80 to see if that would help the pipped chick.

I have researched on BYC and am more confused than ever!!!!

***EDIT*** It has managed to push a little bit more shell off it seems. The other duckling grabbed it and ate it! Shall I get the healthy one out and into the brooder or wait?

 

[gofasterstripe]

Well if you have dampened the sac with a Q tip then you opened the incubator, so you might as well go ahead and take your duckling out. You have probably shrink wrapped your ducklings too while you opened your bator!!!

 

[duckking]

Relative humidity here were I live is 89%. With absolutely NO water in the bator, it was maintaining 60% RH prior to lock down. A quick opening of the bator dropped The RH inside it to 70% from 73% and adding more water had it up to 80% in just a few minutes. Would it shrink wrap that fast? It poked a little more shell out AFTER I had opened the bator.

 

[DuckyMom]

Ok first things first. Stay calm. A clear head is the only way you can help. Don't worry about opening the incubator, whats done is done and he'll probably be fine.
Moistening the egg was the right thing to do after such a long period of time.

Your other duckling can go to the brooder now.

If she's been externally pipped for 24 hours then it's time to help the unhatched duckling. You should start by peeling away small peices of shell from the membrane. If there is any sign of blood, do not panic. Put the egg back in the incubator for a few hours. When peeling away the shell try to remove peices in a circular patter (widthwise around the circumfrence of the egg.) after you finish this I would wait half an hour.
If the baby has not began to break the membrane then VERY CARFULLY start breaking the exposed membrane. about a quarter way around the egg. after another half an hour if she still has not hatched then peel another quarter of the way around the egg.
If she ramains stuck as a last resort you can place the other duckling back in the incubator. They will often help eachother free form the egg. (keep a camera near by because this is probably the most touching thing you will ever see.)

Remember, If you see blood put he back for a few hours, never remove her from her shell, be sure your hands are clean, and so are any tools you use, at this point she needs help and willl not survive with out it, If worse comes to worse there is nothing you could have done diffrently and you only improved her chances. You should not breed a duck that you had to assist in hatching (except in special circumstances.) And last but not least POST PICTURES OF YOUR NEW BABIES!

Good luck,
Emily

 

[DuckyMom]

Keep us posted. Our last runner had the same experience. She is ow a totally happy and healthy duck. Your going to do fine.

Emily

 

[duckking]

Thanks DuckyMom. I'm going to put "Speedy" into the brooder with food and water and a feather duster. She hatched from pip to out of the shell in 2 hours!

I will take a deep breath and follow your instructions with "Pokey".

I have no intentions of breeding them anyway. They are Mallard/Rouen X as it is. But that one duckling is so darn cute!!!!

Pics to follow.....

 

[duckking]

Just went in to start helping the 'stuck' duckling and SHE HATCHED!!!!!! Maybe raising the humidity to 80% was all she needed

She's wet and looks like a drowned rat, but she's holding her head up and peeping. The other duckling is staying right beside her.

Now for that Rouen egg......watching and waiting.....

My son is going to be soooooo thrilled. he left for school so worried about her/him.

 

[Jferlisi]

YAYAYAA. go babies duckie.

 

[DuckyMom]

Congrats!

I expect pictures asap

Emily