SOS Incubating Eggs

[LisabethBrooke]

I don't know if I need to assist in hatching this one. He poked his beak through last night sometime, and then nothing more really. I pulled very gently on the egg that he had already cracked off himself. And tonight he was acting as though he couldn't really move his beak around so I took of the shell and made sure the white fleshy under part was moist. I wrapped him in a damp cloth and put him back in the heating pad box and I'm hoping by morning he'll have made some progress...any progress. When he make peeps its kind of scratchy sounding like he has a dry throat? or... I don't know doesn't really sound the same as the other two did when they were attempting to hatch. I've read some of the forum posts about assisting hatching and I'm honestly scared to do it. I'd hate for him to come this far and them me to hurt him. how long should I wait before I know I absolutely have to assist? Is it that he is simply a slow hatcher? Taking extra time to absorb everything in the egg? I have no idea. Will he die if he's not assisted in hatching?

 

[livininbrazil]

I don't know if I need to assist in hatching this one. He poked his beak through last night sometime, and then nothing more really. I pulled very gently on the egg that he had already cracked off himself. And tonight he was acting as though he couldn't really move his beak around so I took of the shell and made sure the white fleshy under part was moist. I wrapped him in a damp cloth and put him back in the heating pad box and I'm hoping by morning he'll have made some progress...any progress. When he make peeps its kind of scratchy sounding like he has a dry throat? or... I don't know doesn't really sound the same as the other two did when they were attempting to hatch. I've read some of the forum posts about assisting hatching and I'm honestly scared to do it. I'd hate for him to come this far and them me to hurt him. how long should I wait before I know I absolutely have to assist? Is it that he is simply a slow hatcher? Taking extra time to absorb everything in the egg? I have no idea. Will he die if he's not assisted in hatching?

Hi. Well I hope your chick hatched, but if not, and he´s still alive, you could take quite a bit of shell off, and see if the membrane is dry or not. If there are no blood vessels in the membrane, then he´s ready to hatch, but could be he´s just weak and wouldn´t make it anyway. The important thing is, if you should see any blood coming from the membrane, then stop assisting. spray the membrane and wait. Is this the third one?

 

[LisabethBrooke]

He cried for hours last night before I decided I'd better attempt at some kind of help. I was super worried his yolk wasn't absorbed or I'd injure him while I was attempting to save him. But I read from this guy http://www.thepocketfarmer.com/the-pocket-farmer/category/one left behind of a duckling that he helped hatch. And in the links that I was given and other places I read online it seemed like no one attempted assistance until after a 12 hour mark. He was working on 15 - 24 hours of just pipping the external hole. And he didn't do anything beyond that. So I pulled some of the shell and the white membrane off and the membrane/ amniotic sack? thing around him was brown and just keeping him in one position and was still over the most of his beak. So I tugged on it slightly and it was very elastic-y. So I picked off more shell and wet it and there wasn't any blood vessels so I figured I'd pull off enough and tear the sack and hopefully he would kick himself out. I read someplace that them kicking themselves out of the shell is important for leg development. I was really worried that the yolk wouldn't be absorbed, but figured if it wasn't he probably wouldn't kick himself out. At least I was hoping he wouldn't. When he finally kicked himself out everything was absorbed and he was looking quite dry. so I wiped him off a little with a warm damp washcloth dabbed a little water onto his beak and put him into the box with his siblings. This morning he is all fluffed up and looking great.

 

[livininbrazil]

He cried for hours last night before I decided I'd better attempt at some kind of help. I was super worried his yolk wasn't absorbed or I'd injure him while I was attempting to save him. But I read from this guy http://www.thepocketfarmer.com/the-pocket-farmer/category/one left behind of a duckling that he helped hatch. And in the links that I was given and other places I read online it seemed like no one attempted assistance until after a 12 hour mark. He was working on 15 - 24 hours of just pipping the external hole. And he didn't do anything beyond that. So I pulled some of the shell and the white membrane off and the membrane/ amniotic sack? thing around him was brown and just keeping him in one position and was still over the most of his beak. So I tugged on it slightly and it was very elastic-y. So I picked off more shell and wet it and there wasn't any blood vessels so I figured I'd pull off enough and tear the sack and hopefully he would kick himself out. I read someplace that them kicking themselves out of the shell is important for leg development. I was really worried that the yolk wouldn't be absorbed, but figured if it wasn't he probably wouldn't kick himself out. At least I was hoping he wouldn't. When he finally kicked himself out everything was absorbed and he was looking quite dry. so I wiped him off a little with a warm damp washcloth dabbed a little water onto his beak and put him into the box with his siblings. This morning he is all fluffed up and looking great.

Wonderful news, very well done to you. They look lovely.

 

[tillyita]

I took some pictures just now. This is what I saw. This is the first little guy that broke out. And peeps up a storm. He is a regular old chatter box. I'm guessing he will look more like the Toulouse Goose - Daddy goose. This is the second little guy who broke through, I'm guessing he will look more along the lines of the Ebden Goose - Which was his momma. This is the little guy who doesn't ever peep, but he can sure wiggle around. And when he hears the other two peeping he starts poking his beak through the tiny opening. This is one of the eggs I'm not very sure about. It doesn't look as though there is anything in there now. Might have been at one point, but I'm not sure. Maybe its still developing? No idea This is another angle of the previous egg. I don't see anything in it at all. But it still doesn't stink. Or maybe it does and my allergies are keeping me from smelling it. Maybe I should have someone else smell it. This is the last egg. When I move it around it looks like it kind of .... sloshes? and bubbles move around in there. So I'm assuming there isn't anything alive in this egg either. You can see one of the bubbles on the edge of the air pocket in this picture. I'm awfully excited about these little guys.

The first egg looks like the air sack is dipping and may still be vialble. To me the second egg looks like it "started" then quit and is probably a dud. I would give the first egg another couple of days and see if anything happens.

 

[livininbrazil]

He cried for hours last night before I decided I'd better attempt at some kind of help. I was super worried his yolk wasn't absorbed or I'd injure him while I was attempting to save him. But I read from this guy http://www.thepocketfarmer.com/the-pocket-farmer/category/one left behind of a duckling that he helped hatch. And in the links that I was given and other places I read online it seemed like no one attempted assistance until after a 12 hour mark. He was working on 15 - 24 hours of just pipping the external hole. And he didn't do anything beyond that. So I pulled some of the shell and the white membrane off and the membrane/ amniotic sack? thing around him was brown and just keeping him in one position and was still over the most of his beak. So I tugged on it slightly and it was very elastic-y. So I picked off more shell and wet it and there wasn't any blood vessels so I figured I'd pull off enough and tear the sack and hopefully he would kick himself out. I read someplace that them kicking themselves out of the shell is important for leg development. I was really worried that the yolk wouldn't be absorbed, but figured if it wasn't he probably wouldn't kick himself out. At least I was hoping he wouldn't. When he finally kicked himself out everything was absorbed and he was looking quite dry. so I wiped him off a little with a warm damp washcloth dabbed a little water onto his beak and put him into the box with his siblings. This morning he is all fluffed up and looking great.

What did you decide with the fourth egg? Any action?

 

[Oatbucket]

He cried for hours last night before I decided I'd better attempt at some kind of help. I was super worried his yolk wasn't absorbed or I'd injure him while I was attempting to save him. But I read from this guy http://www.thepocketfarmer.com/the-pocket-farmer/category/one left behind of a duckling that he helped hatch. And in the links that I was given and other places I read online it seemed like no one attempted assistance until after a 12 hour mark. He was working on 15 - 24 hours of just pipping the external hole. And he didn't do anything beyond that. So I pulled some of the shell and the white membrane off and the membrane/ amniotic sack? thing around him was brown and just keeping him in one position and was still over the most of his beak. So I tugged on it slightly and it was very elastic-y. So I picked off more shell and wet it and there wasn't any blood vessels so I figured I'd pull off enough and tear the sack and hopefully he would kick himself out. I read someplace that them kicking themselves out of the shell is important for leg development. I was really worried that the yolk wouldn't be absorbed, but figured if it wasn't he probably wouldn't kick himself out. At least I was hoping he wouldn't. When he finally kicked himself out everything was absorbed and he was looking quite dry. so I wiped him off a little with a warm damp washcloth dabbed a little water onto his beak and put him into the box with his siblings. This morning he is all fluffed up and looking great.

YAY!

 

[LisabethBrooke]

Unfortunately the fourth egg started to smell today. It also started to get something like condensation bubbles in it. I don't know if that's normal, but I could smell the stink of a rotten egg where it usually just smelled like dirt and goose. I didn't want to wash them off because I read someplace online that they're layed with a protective covering that helps keep the germs and bacteria from getting into the shell/gosling. I don't know if that's true or not, but I figured better safe than sorry. And you wash your hands before and after handling them so it doesn't really matter if I prewashed it or not. The mother wouldn't have washed it off. I was hopeful it would turn into another goose, but unfortunately this morning proved otherwise.

 

[RURU]

Congrats on a hatching well done. I am so sorry you lost their mother but now you have babies from her. Do you have your geese in a predator proof pen?

 

[livininbrazil]

Unfortunately the fourth egg started to smell today. It also started to get something like condensation bubbles in it. I don't know if that's normal, but I could smell the stink of a rotten egg where it usually just smelled like dirt and goose. I didn't want to wash them off because I read someplace online that they're layed with a protective covering that helps keep the germs and bacteria from getting into the shell/gosling. I don't know if that's true or not, but I figured better safe than sorry. And you wash your hands before and after handling them so it doesn't really matter if I prewashed it or not. The mother wouldn't have washed it off. I was hopeful it would turn into another goose, but unfortunately this morning proved otherwise.

Well, your goose and you both did well. Hatch rates with goslings usually aren´t too high, even when left with the goose, so after all that happened, you still got 3 goslings, it´s quite an achievement. Well done. Did you raise the parents from goslings?