Help, hatching duckling seems in trouble.

[cheezenkwackers]

So today is day 28 for my shipped Welsh Harlequin eggs. One baby is bothering me. He was internally pipped on Wednesday, externally Thursday early morning and chipping at the hole by Thursday late afternoon when I left school (teacher). I expected a hatched duckling by this morning. Instead, I found a larger hole in the egg and the baby opening and closing his bill (not peeping). I am worried about too much fluid. I am in Memphis (high humidity) and even though I incubated dry until the last few days the humidity was always around 55%. The air cells were also weird from shipping and the eggs not being turned during the first two weeks due to a burned out egg turner motor. A second egg pipped during the night and has a similar hole but is not doing the bill thing. Advice please!!!

 

[True Patriot]

I'm not an expert on hatching, or ducks. But I have read a bunch of posts about problems arising from assistance in hatching. I would suggest not doing anything yet until someone with more experience gets on.
@WVduckchick @KikisGirls

 

[Kiki]

The egg in this video.
Can you see any blood around the hole opening and do you see fluid in there?


The second egg has a hole this big also now?
Did they make these holes themselves or did you help?
He MAY need help out.

 

[Rose Quartz]

So today is day 28 for my shipped Welsh Harlequin eggs. One baby is bothering me. He was internally pipped on Wednesday, externally Thursday early morning and chipping at the hole by Thursday late afternoon when I left school (teacher). I expected a hatched duckling by this morning. Instead, I found a larger hole in the egg and the baby opening and closing his bill (not peeping). I am worried about too much fluid. I am in Memphis (high humidity) and even though I incubated dry until the last few days the humidity was always around 55%. The air cells were also weird from shipping and the eggs not being turned during the first two weeks due to a burned out egg turner motor. A second egg pipped during the night and has a similar hole but is not doing the bill thing. Advice please!!!

if this chick has made the hole this big on his own, and isn't progressing he needs to come out. He'll need help.

 

[Rose Quartz]

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

give this a read through before you do anything.

 

[WVduckchick]

That's a bigger hole than they usually make without progressing, but be careful. Ducklings can take up to 48 hours after they pip to absorb all their yolk. Especially if the humidity has been high, and they didn't dry out properly.

Are other ducklings hatching in the incubator with this egg? They may have chewed at the hole?

I don't think I would do it quite yet, but you can remove the shell on the end of the egg, just over the air cell, to get a better idea of what is going on. I expect if you get it out of the incubator, you will be able to tell if its actually stuck, or if its just being a slow poke, by the amount that it struggles and its activity level. If you remove any shell, wipe a thin amount of Vaseline or coconut oil on any exposed membranes and check for blood vessels. You do not want to rip any blood vessels.

 

[cheezenkwackers]

Before any of you answered I removed the end. No blood but the membrane was white. I put him back in the incubator. When I just checked him he had died. I did not help soon enough. I have two more eggs. One pipped during the night and has a similar size hole. He is now doing the the same beak thing but he is peeping. I removed a small amount of shell away from the big hole but I hit a blood vessel (tiny amount of blood) so I stopped and put him back. His membranes look white too . I added a wet sponge in case my humidity is too low.
The third egg pipped this morning.

 

[WVduckchick]

I’m so sorry.
You didn’t necessarily not help soon enough. If you can remove it from the shell now, you may discover why it couldn’t get out. So many factors, it’s hard to guess.

Oh, the membranes should look white or wet looking gray. Brown would be bad.

 

[Kiki]

Do you have coconut oil on hand?


The first egg...did he have the yolk absorbed all the way?

 

[cheezenkwackers]

Yolk was fully absorbed, not sticky at all. Only thing I see is damage to his upper bill from trying to get out.

I do have coconut oil!