Really really fed up :(

[adrian]

Haha, sorry again. I figured when you said you'd heard it, you meant you'd heard it cheeping -- which is also known as peeping. But yes, tapping is another sign of internal pipping. What kinds of duck eggs are these? I know with calls, sometimes they will internal pip and then fail to external pip because of their beaks. I'd advise you to make a larger hole and check out what's going on in there if there is no external pip soon.

 

[portiaari]

Hiya, well the ducks I have are mini silver appleyards and calls, so this duckling could be a mix. I made a larger hole and it was struggling but getting nowhere, so i figure that as it's been so long I'd open a bit more as it looked so tired (probably the wrong thing to do) no blood as i opened a bit more but now I can see that the yolk hasn't been absorbed so I've left it with the rest of the shell on back in the incubator. It looks exhausted

I hope it absorbs soon and then survives!
x

 

[Suechick]

hoping for you.

 

[adrian]

Keep your humidity high, and the baby's chances of absorbing its yolk and being able to be released from the shell successfully are very high. In the future, keep in mind that calls, as well as bantams from what I recall, often require assistance out of their eggs after they internally pip because externally pipping is very difficult for them. This is what I've heard repeated many times by breeders, at least. And the higher quality the birds, the harder it is for them to hatch! Good luck and keep an eye on that yolk sac. I'll bet you it absorbs very soon.

 

[portiaari]

Oh thanks for that, I feel a bit less stupid now then. It's pulled itself out of the shell pretty much now, just the yolk still attached, it's not walking round etc but looking bright and cheeping lots!
Will let you know how it's going in a few hours,
x

 

[adrian]

I probably would have tried to keep the baby in the shell, but generally yolk sacs, so long as they are not ruptured or infected, are readily absorbed by new babies. Just keep it very nice and moist and make sure the baby is on soft bedding and there is nothing in the way that might break the yolk. I'd be inclined to put the duckling in a separate bowl lined with something like tissue paper, perhaps even warm, moist tissue paper, but generally things will be good at this point... From my experience at least. How large is the yolk?

 

[portiaari]

Hmmm it just kinda kicked it's way out! It's the only egg in the incubator so noone else to upset it or tread on it, it's still attached to the eggshell though. it's a largeish yolk (not sure how big they normally are) covered in blood vessels but with a bit of white stuff on it? The floor of the incubator is smooth metal stuff, like a non stick baking tray. The humidity is set at 70%. Feel so sorry for it, it looks so pathetic

 

[adrian]

Ah, well sometimes I will try to keep the baby in its egg by wrapping it in a moist paper towel, like a baby in a blanket wrapped up like a burrito. It's worked for me. Would you compare the yolk to something? Is it more like the size of a large coin, or a walnut, or larger? Seeing as he's alone, I would be unafraid to get in there and help him in whatever way. Such as perhaps lining the floor of the incubator with a damp paper towel. Metal sounds a bit slippery to me, but I'm not sure. Like I said, I'd want to keep him in a bowl, perhaps, so he can't move around a lot... But it is up to you.

 

[portiaari]

Right well the incubator has movable divides, so I've made the area smaller that it can get in, I don't have any paper towels so I've used a flannel instead, Made it moist as the yolk looks dry, it was easier to put a photo in, please don't yell if I've got it wrong :S

 

[portiaari]

It's looking bright and is busy chewing the flannel!

But the yolk has some white on it and looks a bit dark in places