Membrane drying out whilst hatching

[ch1ck3n123]

Hi there

We had six Indian runner eggs incubating. According to the Brinsea instructions provided, we removed four ducklings which have hatched and have been in the incubator for ~24 hours. The other two eggs have pipped. One is not really doing anything, and the other one was knocked by the ducklings, and one side ended up stuck to something (a yolk sac?). Therefore it has probably been unable to roll around as they sometimes do whilst hatching.

When we removed the four ducklings, we quickly moved the egg so that it wasn't stuck to the bottom of the incubator (although the stuff is still on the outside of the egg). There is a clear hole which wasn't previously visible, and since we moved the egg a few hours ago there hasn't been much progress. Plus, we can see the membrane and it looks quite orange (dried out?). Close to the shell it looks more of a whitish colour. We can see that some of the down is poking out, and that the duckling is breathing and chirping.

The eggs went in on Friday 13th at 5 pm (UK time) and it's now Saturday at 12 pm. So it's just over 28 days.

Does anyone have any advice? I'm wondering whether we should dampen the membrane and pick off some of the outside shell. The photos below show the gap with the orange bits, and the stuff stuck to the other part of the shell.

Thanks.

 

[Orca5094]

Usually the membrane is more brownish when it dries out, the orange is a little weird to me. I would moisten that membrane with some lukewarm water and a q-tip anyway in case that is it drying out. Just do it quickly and maybe spray down inside the incubator with a little water real quick while you have it open to raise the humidity in there. Just be sure not to spray the water on the hatching eggs, don't want to risk drowning the little guys.

 

[ch1ck3n123]

Thanks.

Well we got the egg out and the membrane was dry. We picked some shell off and the membrane wasn't attached and we couldn't see blood vessels. But there seemed to be another clear layer over the duckling, some of which we removed.

When we put it back in, it seems to have gone whitish. Should we get it back out and pick more off?

This is my first hatch, but my feeling is that it's ready to come out.

 

[ch1ck3n123]

It's out! I wet and then removed the whitish/clear membrane. I presume it was 'shrink-wrapping'. Picked off the shell and eventually it started pushing quite hard. Put it back in and it was rolling around, so removed it again and finished the job. Seems okay now, it's been playing football with the other remaining egg, and now it's just lying there trying to dry out and sleep.

 

[Orca5094]

It's out! I wet and then removed the whitish/clear membrane. I presume it was 'shrink-wrapping'. Picked off the shell and eventually it started pushing quite hard. Put it back in and it was rolling around, so removed it again and finished the job. Seems okay now, it's been playing football with the other remaining egg, and now it's just lying there trying to dry out and sleep.

Omg, yay!! Congrats on the new addition! Good job!

Yes, it's shrink-wrapped when that clear inner membrane gets stuck to the duckling and they can't move. How is it's umbilicus (belly button area)? Is it fully closed? Is it swollen?

 

[ch1ck3n123]

Omg, yay!! Congrats on the new addition! Good job!

Yes, it's shrink-wrapped when that clear inner membrane gets stuck to the duckling and they can't move. How is it's umbilicus (belly button area)? Is it fully closed? Is it swollen?

Thanks!

It looks fine, from what I can see. It had a very thin cord leading to what I think is the allantois (the brownish sac) which broke off as it came out of the shell. No sign of a yolk sac which is good.

Its legs look a bit splayed, but judging from our other four (which are now running around) this can be normal as they're so tired to begin with. I don't think the floor of the Octagon 20 is as non-slip as Brinsea said it was.

What's the minimum you'd leave it in the incubator after hatching? I was thinking that it might be better off going in the brooder with the other four overnight, rather than being alone in the incubator.

Anyway, 5/6 with one egg that hasn't done much yet. I was told it had pipped the other day, but I can't see any sign of it - perhaps it needs another day? Hoping for 6/6 on our first hatch.

 

[Orca5094]

I leave mine in the incubator to dry for about 12 hours usually. Don't want them to get chilled being out in a brooder, or stepped on by more active guys. When you do take this guy out, I would candle that last one and see what it's doing in there. Maybe it's a quitter? But hopefully it's just running a little late.

 

[ch1ck3n123]

I leave mine in the incubator to dry for about 12 hours usually. Don't want them to get chilled being out in a brooder, or stepped on by more active guys. When you do take this guy out, I would candle that last one and see what it's doing in there. Maybe it's a quitter? But hopefully it's just running a little late.

Good point! We got it out after about 10 hours, looks fine and already sticking with the others. Its legs look better now it's on a proper non-slip surface. Hopefully the others will teach it to drink/eat.

We candled the last one: there's a tiny bit of egg in the air cell, and redness in the other end. No sign of movement... could be lazy? Anyway, we've left it in, and there's nothing to lose now as we have five out.

Thanks again.

 

[Orca5094]

Good point! We got it out after about 10 hours, looks fine and already sticking with the others. Its legs look better now it's on a proper non-slip surface. Hopefully the others will teach it to drink/eat.

We candled the last one: there's a tiny bit of egg in the air cell, and redness in the other end. No sign of movement... could be lazy? Anyway, we've left it in, and there's nothing to lose now as we have five out.

Thanks again.

Glad that newest guy's legs are looking better!

Sounds like you've probably lost that last egg, but certainly no harm in keeping it in there another day and candling again just in case. Congrats on the other 5 new additions!

 

[smbanks80]

Thanks.

Well we got the egg out and the membrane was dry. We picked some shell off and the membrane wasn't attached and we couldn't see blood vessels. But there seemed to be another clear layer over the duckling, some of which we removed.

When we put it back in, it seems to have gone whitish. Should we get it back out and pick more off?

This is my first hatch, but my feeling is that it's ready to come out.

I've had several perfectly healthy babies die because I helped...and several perfectly healthy babies die because I didn't help. I have learned a lot throughout that process. It's very sad either way. Here are a few things Ive learned to help prevent that type of trauma/unnecessary death.

1. As long as the duckling can breathe thru the hole, it will be okay. No need to rush. Have patience in knowing that hatching eggs in an incubator isn't a natural process & that there are going to be variations in how each duckling hatches.

2. You can use a clean paintbrush dipped in warm sterile water to moisten it's little bill & membrane around it's face. Be careful not to get water up it's nose or it could drown (happened to me = very sad). Put egg in incubator where it has freedom to roll & move while attempting to hatch.

3. Duckling needs time to fully absorb the yolk sac into its abdomen before fully hatching or will likely bleed to death if you peel back the soft inner membrane. The trouble with this is that you can't tell if the yolk sac has been fully absorbed & if the the ducklings abdomen is closed from outside of the shell. Blood vessels dry up & deattach from the ducklings abdomen after yolk is absorbed & hole in abdomen closes up. These blood vessels can easily be broken by your hands when messing with the inner membrane. ( I made that mistake last year & several of our beautiful ducklings bled to death within minutes!)

4. If baby hasn't made progress after a day or two, you can carefully peel back the top half of the HARD shell with your fingernails a little at a time, while being very careful not to rupture inner membrane.

5. STOP halfway down the egg, so the lower half of the shell, where the baby's rump would be, remains covered with hard shell. Moisten exposed inner membrane. Return to incubator.

WHY is this important?
Any remaining yolk sac & major blood vessels will be in the area between the ducklings legs. Once the duckling naturally breaks through the part of the soft inner membrane that you exposed, you will be able to see if the duckling still has yolk sac left to absorb.

If so, that hard shell around the babys bottom will support the yolk sac & blood vessels, until the ducklings abdomen is fully closed.

Removing the entire hard shell makes it easy for the duckling to bust out of the entire inner membrane before yolk sac is fully absorbed. When this happens, the duckling will be left to drag around the entire inner membrane while it is still attached to it's open abdomen, leaving it vulnerable to infection & rupture (bleeding to death through severed vessels).

If this happens, wrap a sterile gauze around the lower half of the duckling, return to incubator & closely monitor for the next couple days. No food necessary. It's getting it's nutrition through the yolk sac. You could cause harm if you attempt to feed it at this time.

6. If accidental rupture of blood vessels occur, you can carefully tie off the ducklings umbilical cord with dental floss. You must be quick. It will bleed to death in seconds & will go into shock from being so cold. A warm hairdryer nearby helps or heating pad. Do not lay new baby ducklings on heating pad with lid unsupervised. It will cook them/kill them. Very sad.

Aside from these unsettling lessons Ive learned over the years, I enjoy the process of bringing new life into the world. Ducks are adorable creatures & a joy to have. Good luck!