Is it too late for this duckling?

[CourtCalee]

Help! My incubator humidity dropped and this guy internally popped two days ago. He is still giving me small movements. I broke open the shell to give assistance and have been wetting the membrane for the past 8 hours with no further luck. What should I do now? Is it too soon still and he wasn't ready? This is day 31 so I felt I had to intervene somewhere. I'm not sure if I should rupture inner membrane or wait longer? Sorry first time hatching and I have no idea what I'm looking at even with all the reading I've done.

 

[Miss Lydia]

@WVduckchick

@Ravynscroft

 

[Ravynscroft]

Don't mist the egg... where is the bill? If it's still moving/alive then there's aleays hope... open it up more to show more of the membrane and locate the bill...

 

[Miss Lydia]

Don't mist the egg... where is the bill? If it's still moving/alive then there's aleays hope... open it up more to show more of the membrane and locate the bill...

@CourtCalee

 

[CourtCalee]

Well that's what I'm having trouble with, how do I locate the bill? The black spot you see is the only "not squishy" thing I can find but I am 120% sure it pipped when I candles in a couple days ago and again last night..

 

[WVduckchick]

in the last pic, did you remove the air cell end of the shell, or is that a "side" of the egg?

 

[CourtCalee]

It is the air cell for sure but it was half on the large end of the end and lop sides towards to middle of the egg if that makes sense.

 

[WVduckchick]

yes, so i assume the part closer to your thumb was the low side of the air cell? If so, the bill "should" be right about under where the 2 little pointy pieces of shell still are. Lemme get on my tablet so i can draw on your pic

 

[CourtCalee]

Here are some better pictures. There was something hard where you pointed out. I can't say with certainty but what would the next steps be. He's still giving me small movements and when I touched the spot looking for his bill he jumped but I hear no peeping.

 

[WVduckchick]

I still can't really tell for sure, but the 3rd pic, straight on, there is a chip of shell, just below that fold in the membrane. The bill should be around there. And just above that fold, to the left of the chip, appears to be a flash reflection, right beside an eye?

At any rate, the blood vessels look minimal. If you can't find the spot where it broke the membrane itself, you can either tear into the membrane, by feeling for a firm spot that you think may be the bill, widen it a little to expose the bill. Or you can place it back in the incubator, and let it rest a little while and try a little more later. It may expose the bill for you.