Duckling Hatching Wrong End, and Yolk Broken

[Popcorn Mcgee]

Good morning! So we're on day 29 of our Cayuga ducks hatching. One duck tried coming out of the wrong end, pipped and began zip. I made sure he could breathe since the air cell was at the opposite end. I noticed he broke his yolk sack open. I know this scenario doesn't seem promising, but is there anything I can do.

 

[Popcorn Mcgee]

Okay. Thank you for your advice. What do you recommend for humidity? This is my third time using the incubator and I have read all sorts of different humidity levels that people swear by. Right now, humidity is at 73%.

 

[Isaac 0]

No, sadly, it did not ☹. This is our first time trying to hatch eggs from our Cayuga's eggs. We set 13 and 9 hatched and living. One I'm not sure will make it as it keeps flipping over onto its back and refusing to eat/drink on its own. It's been several days and I'm not sure what to do. It's very strong, but thinks it needs to be upside down. It also hatched from the wrong end and was a very late hatcher, hatching on the day I was going to throw the non-hatched eggs away.

Do you have a video of the duckling?

When we see uncoordinated movements/ataxia in ducklings that is most frequently either a bacterial infection of the yolk sac (omphalitis), a vitamin deficiency such as vitamin E, or B1, or sometimes hypoglycemia (low blood sugar). To start, you may try offering the duckling a broad poultry vitamin such as Nutri-dench, or a mixture of B complex, and vitamin E soft gels. Poly-vi-sol without iron has been proven useful in some cases as well.

Ducklings are very prone to aspiration pneumonia, so when offering any liquid, give her time to get everything down. Dripping a drop on the side of her bill, or soaking a cotton swab in water, and wiping it along her bill are simple ways to give fluid without risking aspiration. If she's not eating her normal feed, you may try offering warm soupy feed, or mashed scrambled eggs.

To help promote keeping her upright, you may consider making a towel in the shape of a deep nest (donut), and see if that helps.

 

[Isaac 0]

There is a very poor prognosis when a hatchling ruptures in yolk; oftentimes if it does survive for a few days, it succumbs to infection since yolk is a wonderful growing medium. At this point, just keep the humidity high in the incubator, and if needed gently moist the membrane with mineral oil, or coconut oil. I would not remove any of the shell as of now.

 

[Popcorn Mcgee]

At what point should I intervene and help it out? We noticed the pip and start of a zip on the underside of the shell last night when a hatched duckling rolled it over.

 

[Isaac 0]

At what point should I intervene and help it out? We noticed the pip and start of a zip on the underside of the shell last night when a hatched duckling rolled it over.

In a normal scenario, the chick would have internally pipped through the membrane that separates it from the air sack, after another 18 hours, it would have likely externally pipped through the shell. In your case, the bird directly externally pipped. Overall, this will prolong the time between external pip to hatch. In some cases, this could mean 48, to 72 hours until he is out of the shell.

As long as the membrane is moist, and the duckling's bill is getting air, you don't have to do much concerning assisting for now.

 

[Isaac 0]

Okay. Thank you for your advice. What do you recommend for humidity? This is my third time using the incubator and I have read all sorts of different humidity levels that people swear by. Right now, humidity is at 73%.

73% sounds good.

 

[Percipen]

Good morning! So we're on day 29 of our Cayuga ducks hatching. One duck tried coming out of the wrong end, pipped and began zip. I made sure he could breathe since the air cell was at the opposite end. I noticed he broke his yolk sack open. I know this scenario doesn't seem promising, but is there anything I can do.

Did your little one make it? I have had several hatch successfully out of the wrong end but never a ruptured yolk (that I know of).

 

[Popcorn Mcgee]

No, sadly, it did not . This is our first time trying to hatch eggs from our Cayuga's eggs. We set 13 and 9 hatched and living. One I'm not sure will make it as it keeps flipping over onto its back and refusing to eat/drink on its own. It's been several days and I'm not sure what to do. It's very strong, but thinks it needs to be upside down. It also hatched from the wrong end and was a very late hatcher, hatching on the day I was going to throw the non-hatched eggs away.

 

[Miss Lydia]

No, sadly, it did not ☹. This is our first time trying to hatch eggs from our Cayuga's eggs. We set 13 and 9 hatched and living. One I'm not sure will make it as it keeps flipping over onto its back and refusing to eat/drink on its own. It's been several days and I'm not sure what to do. It's very strong, but thinks it needs to be upside down. It also hatched from the wrong end and was a very late hatcher, hatching on the day I was going to throw the non-hatched away.

. @Isaac 0 should be able to tell you what your duck may need like Vitamin E hold on hopefully he’ll be on soon.