Need Help!! mama duck has cracked open a possible premature egg!

[majasdee]

Can anyone please help or give advice in what i can do for a really badly cracked egg that 2 mama ducks that are sitting on the same nest have cracked open a egg that is due in a week or so. They have in the past killed some of their eggs so i brought an incubator last week and it arrived yesterday but it was missing a part so had to leave the eggs with the mama ducks and today i go out and find one outside their nesting box and the baby inside is still alive!

Can anyone tell me how i can save this little guy, he's nearly ready to hatch and is still breathing; his shell is very badly damaged and has blood all around the openings. i have it under the headlamp to keep it alive as long as possible until i find a solution.

I will attach photos so you can see what I'm working with. Could it be possible to take a infertile egg and use that shell to cover the damaged bits? using candle wax to seal it? or is there no hope at all?

I have just placed it into a brinsea maxi 2 incubator, any help would be appreciated.

 

[diamondsilkies]

Oh no! I don't have much experience with eggs cracking this badly in this stage, I'm surprised he's still breathing, but that's really good! All I can say is make sure he doesn't get too dried out and stays warm....really hoping someone with more experience can come along soon to help you! Do you know what day they're at? Here's hoping the little guy makes it!

 

[majasdee]

Hi thank you for your input, i did wonder about how to make sure he doesn't dry out and i am very surprised too that he's still alive and i'm not entirely sure what day this egg its at as they have other eggs that i have checked a few days ago and they are nowhere as developed. I did have one other egg that was just as developed as this one last week but they sadly killed that one. I'm pretty sure by looking at the yolk that he was a few days to nearly a week before hatching, he's still breathing like a trooper so fingers crossed.

 

[Amiga]

Do you have access to an incubator?

@WVduckchick @dotknott

 

[WVduckchick]

I have no idea if it will work, but i would wrap that bottom end in saran wrap. Tape it on, but don't cover the air cell end. Leave room for it to zip, if it hangs in there. You can coat with some Vaseline or coconut oil.
Good luck!

 

[WVduckchick]

Do you have access to an incubator?

@WVduckchick @dotknott

Haven't seen dot for awhile.

 

[Amiga]

Thanks, WVduckchick!

 

[JumbeThePigDuck]

You can try your best, but he might not make it. I’m rooting for him!