External pipping both sides- help!

[Duckyy]

Hi all, I’ve just joined these forums but I have 5 duckling eggs (mix of Aylesbury and Mallard) and they’re on day 28 today. Yesterday, all 5 had made a small external pip but 4 have pipped on wrong end. Didn’t concern me too much as all had made a relatively big enough hole in the membrane and I could see them moving and some even breathing. However, this morning 1 of the 4 wrong ended ones had stopped making progress and when I shone a light through the air sac (my incubator is small and plastic so I shone it through the incubator wall, didn’t open the incubator) I can actually see the ducklings beak now in the air sac! Is it possible that he has pipped from wrong end and then turned himself around and pipped through the air sac to go the right end?
The first picture is the pip at wrong end
The second is the candles air sac, when I took this picture he actually started peeping quite loudly
Thanks!

 

[Laura_BelgianBantams_63]

Welcome to BYC! I bet @Isaac 0 can help. I have tagged him, so he should respond soon if he is online

 

[Duckyy]

Welcome to BYC! I bet @Isaac 0 can help. I have tagged him, so he should respond soon if he is online

Thank you!!

 

[Laura_BelgianBantams_63]

Hold on tight..help will be here soon.

 

[Isaac 0]

Hi, how is your duckling doing? @Duckyy

 

[Duckyy]

Hi, how is your duckling doing? @Duckyy

Hi! He’s still moving and having a few cheeps every so often. The correctly positioned duckling hatched this morning and is pushing the egg around but otherwise I can still see him moving when I shine the light through. How long should I wait if I need to give him a safety hole to breathe through?

Side note- one of the other wrong ended pips has just come up with some blood just under the shell! I can still hear the duckling tapping away but I’m worried he’ll bleed out, is there’s anything I should do?

 

[Duckyy]

This is the one with the blood

 

[Isaac 0]

Hi! He’s still moving and having a few cheeps every so often. The correctly positioned duckling hatched this morning and is pushing the egg around but otherwise I can still see him moving when I shine the light through. How long should I wait if I need to give him a safety hole to breathe through?

Side note- one of the other wrong ended pips has just come up with some blood just under the shell! I can still hear the duckling tapping away but I’m worried he’ll bleed out, is there’s anything I should do?

Ok, I'm getting a little confused so let's talk about the one that pipped on the small end and is now on the air cell end, what you need to do, is use a sharp screw or drill bit, position it over the air cell and slowly start twisting back and forth until you make a small hole, from that hole using a pair of tweezers to widen the hole to the size of your pinkie or less, the duckling can breathe now and should hatch fine on its own.

The duckling that has hatched should be taken out into an already warm brooder, left in the incubator it will knock the eggs around too much and disorient them.

The duckling that has pipped on the wrong side should be left alone for now, it has plenty of air getting inside, maybe later tonight or tomorrow morning you can widen the hole about to the size of your pinky, BUT (this applies to everything I have said) if you see any ACTIVE veins when widening the hole, STOP, and set the egg back in the incubator. In the event that you did break a vessel, you could either apply pressure with a dry paper towel, apply a bit of styptic powder, or less preferably corn starch.

This is a great guide for assisting hatching, please give it a look and keep us posted!

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/guide-to-assisted-hatching-for-all-poultry.72886/

 

[Isaac 0]

Most 'wrong side pipper's" survive some don't because they break a major vein when pipping, most we can do is cross our fingers and wait, if the duckling is tapping/peeping/clicking still that's a great sign.

 

[Duckyy]

Ok, I'm getting a little confused so let's talk about the one that pipped on the small end and is now on the air cell end, what you need to do, is use a sharp screw or drill bit, position it over the air cell and slowly start twisting back and forth until you make a small hole, from that hole using a pair of tweezers to widen the hole to the size of your pinkie or less, the duckling can breathe now and should hatch fine on its own.

The duckling that has hatched should be taken out into an already warm brooder, left in the incubator it will knock the eggs around too much and disorient them.

The duckling that has pipped on the wrong side should be left alone for now, it has plenty of air getting inside, maybe later tonight or tomorrow morning you can widen the hole about to the size of your pinky, BUT (this applies to everything I have said) if you see any ACTIVE veins when widening the hole, STOP, and set the egg back in the incubator. In the event that you did break a vessel, you could either apply pressure with a dry paper towel, apply a bit of styptic powder, or less preferably corn starch.

This is a great guide for assisting hatching, please give it a look and keep us posted!

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/guide-to-assisted-hatching-for-all-poultry.72886/

Thank you so much! I’ll do that now and keep my fingers crossed! Sorry for all the confusion :/