PLEASE help my duckling! I opened part of his egg

[jz]

Hi everyone, this is my first time posting and I hope someone can please help me.

Long story short, someone gave me a Muscovy duck egg that had already internally pipped on Monday (it is now Weds night). He was going to remove it from the incubator and let it die.

It had been trying to tap through the egg since we have gotten it, then the tapping slowed today, and then it stopped peeping and tapping. I found the advice on this forum, and poked a tiny hole in the top where it was trying to pip, fearing it had run out of oxygen. The egg was really hard (probably from too low humidity). I put the egg in my bathroom under a heat lamp (not too hot, just so it feels slightly warm to my hand), bought a hygrometer + thermometer, and ran the shower. Now the relative humidity is at 80%. I saw no blood where I had removed the shell and white papery membrane, so I extended the hole until I could see what was going on:

The baby duck is huge compared to the egg. I don't know how it was fitting in there. I can see it breathing normally. Every now and then it yawns and sticks its tongue out and does that duck thing where it opens and closes its mouth real quick (nibbling the air). He seems to be content and resting.

The clear membrane was wrapped fairly tightly around the duckling, detached from the shell/thick white membrane. It is filled with blood vessels. You can see where he poked his head through this membrane.

I am keeping the egg and exposed membrane damp with a warm, wet paper towel wrapped around it, and then seran wrap over it (taking care to allow air supply to the beak).


I was hoping you could advise me on the following questions:

1. When will the duckling absorb the blood from the blood vessels so I (or the duckling) can remove the internal membrane?

2. Is the clear membrane supposed to be attached to the shell, or encasing the duckling?

3. Do you think its yolk is internalized yet? The fact that he isn't trying to get out makes me think he still has his yolk.

4. What should I do? Wait? I can take a picture if needed.

I am planning to go to bed and wake up to check on him now and then. I hope that he will start trying to push out on his own asap (because I don't know how long I can maintain my bathroom as an incubator, I am keeping the shower slowly running and I think the paint is gonna peel off the walls ha ha).

I would greatly appreciate any help you could give me. I want this sweet little duck to live so much. He will be the most spoiled duck in the world.
Thank you,
Julie

 

[debilorrah]

ACK!!!! Let it be for a while. It is still developing at the last stages. I am not sure if muscovys need 28 or 34 days of incubation. But you are going to have to keep the humidity HIGH now that the shell is cracked. Good news that it is alive!!!!! Wishing you good luck!

ETA: Is the membrane around the duck?

 

[Illia]

Saw your PM.

Well, honestly, I've been in this situation a lot, and I find I often do a lot of bad mistakes, but learn from them each time.

So, my questions back are -

How long has it been since you opened the shell? That should determine the safety of the duck taking in its sack. Usually if I have to open an egg and find the chick (never dealt with ducks before) still alive in there, it should be late enough in the process that its yolk has already been absorbed by now.

As for the veining - It should all go away by the time the duckling itself is ready to try and break free. And yes, the membrane is supposed to be encased around the duckling, not the inside of the egg. What I often do is drop or smear some warm water on the membrane. If the blood still reacts to this and plumpens the veins, . . . Wait. If you break the membrane, you'll bleed the duckling out. If the membrane is not broken though, what I usually do is fine the beak, and break a tiny hole right there so it can breath. Make sure to NOT hit a vein!

Yes, I would like to see a photo. . .

For now I say wait. Keep the humidity high and the temp at a good point so nothing wrong happens, and if the duckling takes to long, I'd advise to move the egg every once in a while. I once let a chick take its own time to hatch out from a hole, and, it took a day or two. . . And from sitting there for that long, the side it was laying on seemed permanently paralyzed or lacking circulation. So, I'd recommend moving the egg around every once in a while to allow some circulation of the blood.

Otherwise, I say wait until the duckling makes its own attempts to hatch out.

 

[jz]

Hi debiraymond,

Thank you for your reply and well wishes. Yes, I did not want to interfere, but I did not know how long it had already been internally pipped when I received it (3-4 days at least total), and I didn't want to lose him as it is the only egg I've ever had so I kind of panicked when he stopped responding.

The tough white membrane was stuck to the shell and broke away with the shell I removed. The clear membrane with the blood vessels is encasing the duck, except where it had split it open and stuck its beak through. Is it normal for it to be encasing the duck, or should it be attached to the shell?

Thanks for the advice, I will try to keep the humidity high (it is 95% right now, my roommates are going to kill me lol). He seems to be in good spirits, which makes me hopeful. I hope he gets out of there before I accidently overheat or underheat or whatever him, since I don't have an incubator.

Julie

 

[OkieChickenDad]

Quote:
2nd! This says it all way better than I could...wow...good reply!

 

[jz]

Wow, you guys are quick to respond - thank you so much! I will take some pics right now. I opened a lil bit around 5pm today, then more when I was trying to figure out what was going on. I was hesitating whether to do it all the way or not, started to, then stopped when I thought about the yolk. So the hole is pretty big now. I hope you all don't freak out when you see the pic!

 

[OkieChickenDad]

Look something like this? But...duckier?

 

[debilorrah]

Quote:

Duckier? LMAO!!!!

The membrane should be attached to the shell, not the duckling. If it is, there is a chance it will be shrink wrapped. Kepp your eye on it and keep doing what you are doing!!

 

[OkieChickenDad]

If you have a microwave...heat up a damp towel and place it in a box with the egg...keep the egg orientated! and get a thermometer in there...not sure on the temp for ducks though...but know that its way easier to regulate temp and humidity in a confined space like a box in an area free from drafts...and the damp towel was a trick my wife did when she came to my rescue during my 1st egg crisis.

 

[jz]

Let me see if this works before I post them all.