Found duck egg

[fuzzayd]

Hi,
I found a duck egg floating down a stream and picked it up. i listened to it and could here a lil heart beat. i could not find a nest to return it to.
when i got home i noticed the egg was cracked at one end, and i could hear chirping.
I left the egg alone and went on internet where the first few posts i read scared me that my egg might of pip'd wrong and might need assistance.
it has been over 24 hours since i found the chirping egg i thought it might be a safe time to help the duck out so i peeld off some egg. from what it looks like the membrane is still there and when i tried to gently peel some off it seemd to slightly bleed. i dont know where to go from here. the duck had already busted its beak out this part.

 

[ameliadanielle]

Get a small box and wad up some damp paper towels and put them around the egg but not touching it for humidity. Put a heating pad underneath or a lamp over the top for warmth. If the membrane looks like it is getting dry and papery, then it is drying out and can shrink onto the chick. Also make sure it does not get too hot. A warm, steamy bathroom could do the trick too.

 

[ameliadanielle]

I'm surprised it didn't drown the chick floating in water like that. The bleeding means it is not ready to hatch yet and if you assist it further you could risk that it hasn't absorbed the yolk completely yet.

 

[Ravynscroft]

Put vaseline or antibiotic ointment on the membrane, all the way across any part that's exposed... that will keep it from drying out and sticking to the duckling... just make sure it's a thin coat and don't get it on the bill or nares...

Keep it warm, it's not quite ready ready, may take a day or 2 before the veins recede from the membrane and s/he is ready to come out...

 

[fuzzayd]

ok thanks guys

 

[Ravynscroft]

Good luck! Post again if you need more help...

 

[fuzzayd]

ok i have applied vaseline and sprayed water into this box with a lamp onit, temp gun says 29 celcius.

 

[Ravynscroft]

Either lower the lamp a bit or use a higher wattage bulb... 29 is too cool, you want it between 37 and 38, no higher or lower...

 

[fuzzayd]

that seems so hot i hope he doesnt cook

 

[Ravynscroft]

Ducks body temps are higher than ours... that's the temps they use to hatch out their babies and what incubators are run at for hatching babies...

The duckling will need a brooder with an area kept at 32.5 celsius to stay properly warm for the first week as well...