pipped egg but no duckling

[MegB]

Hi everyone please could someone advice me on what's best to do, my duck eggs are due to hatch Saturday so stopped turning Wednesday but on Thursday morning one of the eggs has started pipping, but 24 hours later still no signs of further popping or duck??? How long should i leave it before i interfere?

 

[DanasChicks]

Hi MegB,

I am not familiar with hatching ducklings, so for now, I will assume it's similar to hatching other fowl.

First off, interfering too soon can have traumatic results. I have lost many chicks by interfering too soon and too late. Some die at hatch for many different reasons. The humidity is too high, the chick drowns, the air sack is too small, the chick dies, the chick is too big and can't absorb the yoke sack, the chick punctured a blood vessel etc..

However, secondly I believe the experience of it all allows you to learn what to do and what not to do next time, so I say go with your instinct. I have saved many chicks as well paying close attention to the following tips. You can wait it out or you can assist. It's a personal decision.

1. Did you increase your humidity slightly two or three days before due? Humidity that's too low or too high can cause issues at hatch.
2. If you are able to candle the egg at this point, you can see if the duckling is still moving in the shell (I have never candled duck eggs, but I am assuming since they are not dark eggs you can see through them just like chicken eggs). If you can't candle the eggs then tap the widest end and listen for peeps. If pipped and no progress and your concerned, move to the next step.
3. Assist the hatching process by following the same pattern where the duckling pipped carefully removing the shell around the egg enough to allow you to poke through the outer membrane to create breathing space and view the duckling. Some people use tweezers to do this. I find my fingers and fingernails are more precise. You do not have to remove even half of the shell, just enough to find the breathing space. IMPORTANT: If you can see a live duckling, but the inner membrane still has blood vessels showing (they will be rounded vessels full of blood throughout the inner membrane) or you see blood....stop.
4. I am assuming ducklings absorb the yoke sake like chicks do. If the inner membrane still has full blood vessels, if assisted further at this point the yoke sack will not be absorbed and the duckling will die. Hence, please wait until the blood vessels have collapsed and are no longer evident before continuing with any further assistance.
5. If the duckling is still covered by the inner membrane, but you have opened the egg significantly take a moistened paper towel and blot the inner membrane to dampen it, be careful not to get to close to where the duckling needs to breathe and put the egg back in the incubator. Check on it every few hours. IMPORTANT: watch for shrink wrapping, which means the inner membrane dried out over the duckling and this makes it almost impossible for the duckling to hatch out itself. At this point, if I still see full blood vessels, I would moisten again, and put the egg back for another hour or two.
6. Once the blood vessels have completely collapsed and the inner membrane can be easily pulled off the duckling, It is safe at this point to hatch completely.

I have only ever assisted chicks and guinea keets. I strongly believe that experience will teach you more than anyone can tell you. It's very sad when a chick, keets, duckling, gosling or what have you dies at hatch, but it happens. The most important thing to watch out for is those blood vessels can easily get punctured during any type of assistance and bleed (and I mean drops of blood) so please be careful. If you accidently puncture a vessel, take a damp tissue and gently press on the bleed. It will stop. A little bit of blood at hatch is normal. Dripping blood is not. Always moisten the inner membrane and the area with the bleed and place the egg back for another hour and check again.

I hope this helps.
Let us know how it goes for you.
Take care!

 

[DanasChicks]

Correction to the above post: Yolk sac

In addition to #6: I should add that it's best to hatch out only the head and wings portion first, While the chick's legs and body are still contained in the lower half of the shell, try to look down towards the belly to see if you find any evidence of unabsorbed yellow yolk sac.. If you have any concern that the yolk sac is not fully absorbed or you see evidence of any remaining yolk sac, do not remove the chick from the lower half of the shell. Instead, place the chick with the lower half of the shell still attached back in the incubator. The chick will most likely hatch itself out at this point. If you see no evidence of the yellow yolk sac, it's safe to completely hatch the chick fully.

 

[esther5]

hi
i had the same date as you and had 5 runner duck eggs in the incubator that looked good. i candled before lockdown and could hear and see 3 had internally pipped.
on thurs morning there was an external pip in one egg but the membrane was dry looking. after several hours not much was happening and the rocking of the other eggs had stopped. as i was concerned i candled the rest and saw no movement. i decided to open one and it was dead in the shell. i did the same then with the other 3 and all were dead. the membrane did look dry so i don't know if they were shrink wrapped?

i therefore decided to intervene with the last egg and over the next 2 hours helped it to hatch. i'm glad i did. he/she had fully absorbed the yolk and is doing well now. i wish i had known to intervene with the others. 3/4 had internally pipped. so sad when they make it that far.

there is no easy answer for your little guy. ducks do take longer than chicks so it might be fine. can you see movement or hear tapping/peeping? if not and it was me i'd want to find out but others might say to leave well alone.

i hope all turns out well for you.

 

[MegB]

Hi thanx for replying, i had similar trouble with one of my chicks before i ended up assisting, i think i will wait till tomorrow and if not hatched will help, i have already now had one successful hatch

so just 11 more to go!

 

[JHducks3]

I had duck eggs due Friday once three pipped on the Wednesday and didn't hatch till Friday so don't worry ducks take a little more time

 

[MegB]

I've had five hatch but I've got two which have just made a hole where all i can see is beak, do i need to help??? Been like it since this morning

 

[JHducks3]

Is the hole in the right end of the egg? Not malposionted ? If you can see the beak that means the chick is getting air and if can breathe I would just leave it anther one of my ducks pipped Wednesday morning made a hole I could see its beak and didn't hatch till Thursday at 4 o clock in the morning it takes time have patience

 

[esther5]

i think you said they were malpositioned.
if today is due day i might leave it and see. if they are overdue i might start with one and remove a bit of the shell where it should zip. then you can get a better view of the state of the membrane. it might be very dry then you can wet it and see the state of the veins. you can then leave it a few hours and see what it does.

at the end of the day it is up to you and so hard to know.

 

[MegB]

I may mist the eggs slightly when i remove dried ducklings incase their drying out. They were due sat so if not out tomorrow i will try and help alittle, like you say at least their getting air. Will keep you posted. Thankyou for helping