Help with hatching ducklings!

[BantamMama13]

Hi everyone, I was wondering if anyone could help me out with a question. I have call duck eggs in incubator and today is day 26. I had one egg pip last night and it has created a small hole but nothing else is happening. He is wiggling all around and I can see his beak through the hole. How long should I let him work his way out before trying to help him? This is my first time incubating ducklings! Thanks!

 

[BantamMama13]

It looks as though his membrane is stuck to him. Should I pull him out of the incubator and try to help him? Please anyone I'm a first time duckling hatcher.

 

[Dcat]

I wish I could help but I'm so new to even chickens all I can do is cross my fingers for you. Hopefully someone knowledgeable will come on soon and post.

 

[BantamMama13]

This is what he looks like right now, I opened his shell a bit but I believe he is shrink wrapped. What can I do to help him? I tried moving the membrane but it began bleeding so I stopped and put it back in the incubator.

 

[Dcat]

How long has it been since he pipped? With chickens they can take up to two days to hatch after pipping. What is your humidity at?

 

[BantamMama13]

I don't have a hydrometer but I know it's low now because I opened the incubator to help him. He started to bleed so I put him back in incubator and added water to basins and paper towel. I'm hoping I didn't hurt him by doing that! He's chirping still and wiggling but he is shrink wrapped. Should I dab water on the membrane? If I do that how can I get moisture back to where it needs to be?

 

[BantamMama13]

He pipped last night around 7pm, and it's now 10:30pm tonight, he still needs to absorb all the veins in his membrane.

 

[Dcat]

If he's bleeding he isn't ready, the blood along the egg shell still needs to be absorbed by the duckling. If you've added moisture, leave the incubator closed and give it more time, its a tight fit in that egg anyway. Remember I'm a novice at this but what your talking about is what happened to me when I did my first hatch. I freaked out and tried to help when the chick still needed to finish absorbing everything in the egg. All you can do now is wait. Its hard but its all you can do.
When did he pip?

 

[BantamMama13]

Yeah I figured that he wasn't ready but not sure to how solve this shrinkage problem. He pipped about 26 hours ago. He is still moving strongly and chirping at me so I think he will be ok but still not sure. My nerves are getting the better of me with this hatch! It's so hard not to do anything especially when you think they are struggling.

 

[Dcat]

I know exactly how you feel. The first hatch teaches you more lessons than you care to find out but in the long run, you wont make those same decisions again. If your lucky you will have a duckling out of the shell on his own in a few hours or so but, prepare yourself in case that isn't the way it goes. Try to go do something to take your mind off of him for a while or you will do nothing but stare at him and freak yourself out more.