My egg pipped but he doesn’t look like he’s breathing

[Uglyduckling77]

Hello all I am new to hatching because I found a mallard duck egg at work Bc they like to lay in the mulch piles. I saved the egg from being smashed and took it home. I saw that it was developing and doing really good. I turned and cooled it like I read on these forums. Hatching time comes along and he pipped. I was super excited. I saw it when I came home from work. It has been a little over 26 hours now and he hasn’t moved at all. I used tweezers to look at the membrane to check and see if it was shrink wrapped. It doesn’t look like it is. He hasn’t moved at all his beak is not moving. I am keeping the humidity up as best as I can with water and a light bulb. I made this incubator last minute out of a old beer box and some mulch. I know it’s not the best but I wasn’t expecting it to go this far. What do I do? Is he dead. I can see some of his body and he doesn’t look like he is breathing at all? Did I do something wrong? Please help I’m really worried

 

[FoodFreedomNow]

Waterfowl like geese and ducks can take a long time to hatch compared to chickens. If his bill is out, he should be able to breathe and may still be absorbing his yolk before hatching. It can also be very difficult to see them breathe while they're in the egg.

If it's been 26 hours since external pip, I would take a closer look to make sure something hasn't happened to prevent hatching. If you're not using thermometer or hygrometer, the temperature and/or humidity may not be optimal. This could mean a delayed hatch, for example, if the temperature is low.

I hope he's just gathering his strength for the hatch. Best of luck!

 

[Uglyduckling77]

Waterfowl like geese and ducks can take a long time to hatch compared to chickens. If his bill is out, he should be able to breathe and may still be absorbing his yolk before hatching. It can also be very difficult to see them breathe while they're in the egg.

If it's been 26 hours since external pip, I would take a closer look to make sure something hasn't happened to prevent hatching. If you're not using thermometer or hygrometer, the temperature and/or humidity may not be optimal. This could mean a delayed hatch, for example, if the temperature is low.

I hope he's just gathering his strength for the hatch. Best of luck!

I checked and the membrane looks ok I don’t see any discoloration. I opened the pip up a little to try and persuade him to come out. I know that’s bad I just wanted to make sure he was breathing. I’m gonna wrap him in a damp paper towel at room temp and hope that keeps him humid. I hope he comes out tomorrow and I see more movement soon I’ll keep you updated.

 

[FoodFreedomNow]

That's not necessarily bad - I sometimes do that, myself. Have you read Pyxis's guide to assisted hatching? Keep it handy in case you need it