HELP: What should I do next???

[Goosey Girl]

We’re these shipped eggs ?
Could the air cell have been detached ?

Came out of my barn. Perfectly clean. She laid it in her nesting box!

 

[Corbdee]

Can you move that membrane away from his eyes and get as much of that goo out with Q tips
I have never seen this before but I worry if he puts his beak down he could get a bunch inside his nares

I agree with this, the only thing is that I've experienced assisting with all this goo and on one of the eggs I tried to take it out and assist so much that the goo dried up and stuck to his wing and head. He didn't die but it made things so complicated trying to wash off the goo, and he had wry neck for a week because of it.

 

[New duck mommy 2021]

Came out of my barn. Perfectly clean. She laid it in her nesting box!

Even some of my ducks eggs that never left her nest ended up with saddle air cells
Just thinking because that air cell never really grew maybe it was detached
I have a shipped egg in my bator with a full detached air cell and it’s growing a baby
Be interesting to see what happens in the next 3.5 weeks how the air cell grows

 

[Goosey Girl]

Thank you everyone!!!! I cleaned him up again and pulled back the membrane some and this is where we are. He actually opened his one eye when I cleared it and looked at me! With and without flash:

 

[Goosey Girl]

Do you think this is good enough for the night? Should I tilt the egg up so his head is pointed up? I think he is stable for now. Is there anything else I can/should do hot him before lights out???

 

[New duck mommy 2021]

I agree with this, the only thing is that I've experienced assisting with all this goo and on one of the eggs I tried to take it out and assist so much that the goo dried up and stuck to his wing and head. He didn't die but it made things so complicated trying to wash off the goo, and he had wry neck for a week because of

Do you think this is good enough for the night? Should I tilt the egg up so his head is pointed up? I think he is stable for now. Is there anything else I can/should do hot him before lights out???

Sorry I was away this evening
I would keep humidity at 60-65 as I’m thinking that’s goo and membrane we don’t want to dry out
I would say he will be fine ti leave alone as long as any exposed membrane is moistened
He can breath and absorb

 

[Goosey Girl]

Sorry I was away this evening
I would keep humidity at 60-65 as I’m thinking that’s goo and membrane we don’t want to dry out
I would say he will be fine ti leave alone as long as any exposed membrane is moistened
He can breath and absorb

Thank you. I actually added the water back about four hours ago for that reason. Just did a 3:30 a.m. wellness check on him and the goo around his head is dried and hard. Cleaned him up a bit around his head, but when the time comes, I know he'll need a lot of help and aftercare cleaning. This is the most involved project egg for me ever, but I figure he hasn't quit yet, so I'm going to keep trying.
He still has a lot of absorbing to do and he is stuck, so breathing is his only activity!

 

[New duck mommy 2021]

Thank you. I actually added the water back about four hours ago for that reason. Just did a 3:30 a.m. wellness check on him and the goo around his head is dried and hard. Cleaned him up a bit around his head, but when the time comes, I know he'll need a lot of help and aftercare cleaning. This is the most involved project egg for me ever, but I figure he hasn't quit yet, so I'm going to keep trying.
He still has a lot of absorbing to do and he is stuck, so breathing is his only activity!

You can continue to try to get goo away
Even warm water on q tip and rub on his head
Hopefully he will get absorbed then you can help him hatch and clean him off
That goo dries like cement

 

[Goosey Girl]

Lessons learned:
1. When ALL info says goose eggs must loose between approximately 12-16% and despite trying everything (including dry incubation in around 26% relative humidity) your egg holds steady at 6%; there will be issues.

2. Even if the gosling does live to externally pip, the gelatinous excess of fluid goo will create an enormously unpleasant and difficult environment in which to progress to a successful hatch.

3. Adjusting humidity in the hatcher and cleaning up the gosling will ultimately do nothing. Just the change from 100% humidity in an unpipped egg to 70% or 60% humidity in the hatcher will cause the goo to coagulate, eventually constricting the already weak gosling's ability to breathe.

4. After an extensive search you find there is NO written information on the situation you are experiencing, odds are against a positive outcome.

5. If I encounter this exact situation again, I will discontinue the hatch at day 21. Maybe keeping to a < 9% as my cut off (have to give the percentage amount a bit more thought). Maybe someone has a better number?

6. I've read that as the season progresses, the goose eggs laid later have thinner shells. Last season, my successful hatches from this goose and her sisters occurred in eggs laid in mid-May. Earlier eggs (about 100 from three geese) all quit ( except for three that did hatch). I have to look back at last year's data, but in addition to the gals being only 11 months old, eggshell thickness/lack of weight loss in addition to youth might have played a part. Previously, I only considered their young age as the determinant factor.

*****Finally, no, he did not make it. This morning he was still.*****

But, time to get back to my success... all eight of my duck eggs hatched two days ago. Humidity numbers had been perfect. Six hatched easily. All had safety holes added 26 hours after internal pip. One took a little longer and the final had a challenging hatch because my husband "thought the egg needed help" and accidentally crushed it a bit...another saga for another "things not to do" post under the category, "A little knowledge is indeed VERY dangerous." But, all eight are amazing and mama cat is happy too...

And in closing...if you want waterfowl, duck eggs are the way to go for incubation (call ducks excluded from what I've read). My runner ducks prevail!!! This last hatch, I accidentally left five eggs out for hours while they were supposed to be out for 10 minutes cooling and spritzing. There was an issue with my turner and I didn't realize they weren't turning for a couple of days. Simple, successful, no stress, hatches.

Yet, doing everything right with my goose eggs according to all the expert info, things repeatedly go wrong with my goose eggs collected on property. Might just be me or my birds, but if you want the cutest little feathered critters...hatch a duck!!!!!

 

[Goosey Girl]

A VERY HEARTFELT THANKS, to all of you special and caring members who helped guide me through this unusual case. I wouldn't have made it this far without the wealth of information and valuable assistance found in the Backyard community!!!