Help!! First time hatching ducks!!!

[kmreid96]

This is my first time hatching ducks! We rescued these poor babies and got them all set up in an incubator and everything, and all seemed to be doing very well. We have 2 that recently started shaking and moving their egg so we figured they might be coming soon!! However, this one started to get this black/blue staining discoloration on his egg. He is definitely still alive because there is definite movement when we candle him and he was squirming around and tapping his egg just yesterday, but he doesn't seem to move his egg much anymore. I can't seem to find any solid information on this. Please help me... I don't want him to die, we've worked so hard to give them the best chance possible... Do we need to try to break this little guy out carefully? Or let him keep going to see if he breaks out on his own? I'm not sure if he's pipped internally or what. Please help us! I hope the picture loaded right with this as well!

 

[Pyxis]

Sometimes they "bruise" like that when they internally pip. If you're very worried you can make a safety hole at the top of the egg so he can breathe. Use a small sharp sterile drill bit. There is a good explanation here in this article:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/491013/goose-incubation-hatching-guide-completed

They do take their time hatching though and can take 24-48 hours between internal pip to external pip so there's probably no cause for alarm

 

[Ren2014]

There is usually a resting phase after they make the turn to get into position. Can you candle to see if there is an internal pip? Or, do you hear any peeps? Peeps would mean it has pipped internally.

 

[kmreid96]

Thank you guys so much for your help. We think the one that's stained though is now gone... very upset. We did break a small hole in the air sac side of the egg though in desperate hope that he is just resting and needed the fresh air... I suppose we will see in the morning.

However, our other one now that was close in time to him also seems to be moving much more again! How is the best way to tell if he has pipped internally? And when is it acceptable to intervene and help by cracking a little hole externally? I really do not want him to die like the other one... I really appreciate your all' help though.

 

[Pyxis]

Thank you guys so much for your help. We think the one that's stained though is now gone... very upset. We did break a small hole in the air sac side of the egg though in desperate hope that he is just resting and needed the fresh air... I suppose we will see in the morning.

However, our other one now that was close in time to him also seems to be moving much more again! How is the best way to tell if he has pipped internally? And when is it acceptable to intervene and help by cracking a little hole externally? I really do not want him to die like the other one... I really appreciate your all' help though.

The best way is to candle. I'll steal a picture from @RavynFallen if she doesn't mind so you can see what it looks like:

There's not really a bad time to do the safety hole once they're internally pipped. You may slow the hatch down a little by doing so though because it's actually the carbon dioxide buildup that triggers the external pip and starts them on their way to hatching. But they'll still pip and hatch on their own when they're ready regardless.