Ducklings not externally pipping

[Bobbimarks]

How often should I wet the membranes? And yes, yawning and peeping. He is squirmy.

 

[caesargirl]

If you can add bacitracin with no painkillers to the water you're using to wet it, you can do it less often. Wet it so its clearish. And keep it that way. Time wise, just watch to make sure it doesn't turn white. Keeping it moist also gives the veins the ability to absorb. The yawning and peeping and squirming is the baby going through stages of hatching and yolk absorption. The baby can breath and has lived in the egg for 3 weeks... It's in no immediate danger!!!
If your bator is circulated air (has a fan) it should be at 99.5°, still air I believe is 101°. Your temp is low.
Just reread, aim for 99.5°
Let him continue to work at this.... He's an early bird! With temps like that though, watch out for sticky goo. If you gently put a qtip between baby and internal membrane does a clearis yellowish very sticky substance come out?

 

[Bobbimarks]

Ok, turned the temp up a bit.
Just got back from my doctor appointment. I noticed there was a little bit of Amber color on the shell paper/membrane. Is my humidity to high at 80%? If so what should I bring it down to?

I swabbed water with a q-tip around the membrane that was surrounding the duckling but no longer attached to the shell. I did not see any yellow coming onto my q-tip while doing this. I also removed a little more shell that wasn't attached to anything so I could get around with the cotton swab a little more easily.

Still chirpy, yawning...even stuck out his little tongue. So cute!

 

[caesargirl]

80 is too high for me. I like to be around 60-65. Are your water reservoirs empty, or wet towels... Take out things that cause/give moisture. Hatching will cause humidity to rise. If you have vent plugs, remove them. If you can get a qtip between baby and internal membrane, take a gentle swab. If that liquid/goo is sticky, you have to keep swabbing and get it out. Keep that membrane moist. Adding the bacitracin to the water you moisten membrane with, means moistening less. The more shell you remove the quicker the membrane dries. Look for veins to get smaller!!
Yawning and peeping are great.

 

[Bobbimarks]

I have a container of water and some wet paper towels, the reservoirs are a pain if you need to lower, so adjusting humidity should be easy. Some of those red blood vessels have already begun to diminish.

 

[Bobbimarks]

Yes there is yellow goo around the duckling. I will keep swabbing.

 

[caesargirl]

That's how I do humidity too! Easier to control. Sounds like you're well on your way to a duckling! Watch out for shrink wrapping and don't let that sticky stuff touch anything. Darn hard to clean. When the baby hatches you're going to have to warm wet wipe the baby off.

 

[Bobbimarks]

I got as much of the yellow goo and liquid out as I can. Should I keep doing that when I go into wet the membrane?

He's got his wing over his face now. When I went in to soak up the goo, he pushed his head half way out. I hope this is a good thing.

Is it ok for him to have a little of that gunk stuck to him, like you said I will have to clean it when it comes out of its shell, but are we out of the woods for suffocation?

This is the furthest we've got with a duckling hatch thus far...none are able to pip through their shells. I have another egg starting make an internal pip, so we shall see how that goes.

 

[caesargirl]

I personally would let him rest. Don't break any more shell away. The struggle is part of the process. With the next one. After internal pip, he's got 24 hrs oxygen. After that 24 hrs, if you feel you have to, then you can make a safety hole. No larger then a pencil lead though.

 

[Bobbimarks]

Ok, got it!
He really responds when I talk to it.

Any advice for dealing with tough shells for future hatches? Does daily spritzing during incubation help to thin them out?