Help! Air cell’s too small but duckling’s still Alive trying to pip!

[Croissant]

I’m sorry, but in my experience, that egg looks way too clear to be on day 26. It should look basically all dark except for the air cell.

Putting a safe hole in the air cell before the duckling internally pips does nothing for the duckling. A safe hole can be done once it breaks the membrane, to give extra air for it to breathe, when the air cell is small.

it’s definitely in day 26, well 27 now because I put both eggs in together from the same batch.

 

[Croissant]

can you feel movement?

I saw the duckling press against the membrane - I didn’t feel it moving at all prior to opening

 

[WVduckchick]

I saw the duckling press against the membrane - I didn’t feel it moving at all prior to opening

Can you feel it move if you touch the membrane?

 

[WVduckchick]

Still heavy blood vessels, so I would just keep the membrane moist at this point and let it continue to absorb.

 

[Croissant]

Can you feel it move if you touch the membrane?

The duckling moved when I touched it with the q-tip but it’s only one slight movement and nothing further

 

[Croissant]

Still heavy blood vessels, so I would just keep the membrane moist at this point and let it continue to absorb.

Ok - I’ve added a wet tissue to increase humidity and now I’m just waiting, should I moisten the membrane every hour? With the other egg, it made a small crack yesterday night and looked like it made a small second crack along the first pip, and I still hear tapping but after a couple of hours - at least 12 I believe, there hasn’t been any progress. I heard call ducks have difficult hatching with Their small head and beak so what should I do?

 

[T-R-O-U-B-L-E]

I hope he makes it!

 

[Croissant]

I hope he makes it!

Thank you, me too! I hope the duckling is a fighter!

 

[T-R-O-U-B-L-E]

Hmmm. This what WV said on an earlier thread.

No. Do not make a hole in the shell before it breaks the internal membrane itself.

The only thing I could suggest at this late stage is maybe rubbing the bloom off the egg to allow more moisture to release, but you don’t really have much time for it to make much difference. It would be nice if the air cell was a bit bigger, but it’s not necessarily a death sentence. It will lessen the time I’d wait before assisting, if it comes to that, but it could very easily hatch on its ow. without any problems.

 

[WVduckchick]

Ok - I’ve added a wet tissue to increase humidity and now I’m just waiting, should I moisten the membrane every hour? With the other egg, it made a small crack yesterday night and looked like it made a small second crack along the first pip, and I still hear tapping but after a couple of hours - at least 12 I believe, there hasn’t been any progress. I heard call ducks have difficult hatching with Their small head and beak so what should I do?

If you are using coconut oil, every hour or two should be fine. Vaseline lasts a little longer.

The other one that is progressing, just let it do its thing. Multiple pips are a good sign.