To assist or not to assist?

[Featheredfluffs]

Have you coated the membrane to keep it moist? Coconut oil is great, or neosporin or bacitracin.

I used a little bit of warm water as I was kind of freaking out at the time! Little one looked like he could barely breathe. Should I take him back out and put some coconut oil on it? I have styptic powder on hand too.

 

[Pyxis]

I used a little bit of warm water as I was kind of freaking out at the time! Little one looked like he could barely breathe. Should I take him back out and put some coconut oil on it? I have styptic powder on hand too.

Yes, definitely do the coconut oil. Styptic powder shouldn't be necessary.

 

[Chloe+chickens=LOVE]

I would check the other eggs just to see they if the are shrink wrapped. And you could help that one more by peeling away more of the membrane by the head so his head can pop out. Please keep me updated

 

[Pyxis]

Absolutely do not peel more membrane away by the head if there are active blood vessels. You will make him bleed, possibly to death. If there aren't and there is membrane over his eye you could remove that but I wouldn't remove any more than that. And even that isn't necessary.

I don't actually think this one is shrink wrapped, either. With shrink wrapping the inner membrane has pulled entirely away from the shell and is down so tight over the duckling that it can't move. It doesn't look to me like that's actually the case for this duckling.

 

[Featheredfluffs]

Absolutely do not peel more membrane away by the head if there are active blood vessels. You will make him bleed, possibly to death. If there aren't and there is membrane over his eye you could remove that but I wouldn't remove any more than that. And even that isn't necessary.

I don't actually think this one is shrink wrapped, either. With shrink wrapping the inner membrane has pulled entirely away from the shell and is down so tight over the duckling that it can't move. It doesn't look to me like that's actually the case for this duckling.

It definitely was pulled down. I’ll try and show a little better picture of it... but it was so tightly stuck that it was trying to make an internal pip and couldn’t because it could barely move it’s head

 

[Pyxis]

It definitely was pulled down. I’ll try and show a little better picture of it... but it was so tightly stuck that it was trying to make an internal pip and couldn’t because it could barely move it’s head

I'm still not sure it was shrink wrapping from this picture. When you coat the membrane with coconut oil, it's going to become see through, and I wouldn't be surprised if you find something like a foot over head malposition is the real reason it was having trouble.

 

[Featheredfluffs]

I'm still not sure it was shrink wrapping from this picture. When you coat the membrane with coconut oil, it's going to become see through, and I wouldn't be surprised if you find something like a foot over head malposition is the real reason it was having trouble.

Does the foot over head position look like this?

 

[Pyxis]

Yep, that's a clear foot over head malposition.

 

[Featheredfluffs]

Ok. This was one of its siblings, but if I had one with a malposition, it would make sense if the “shrink wrapped” one was having the same problem, right?

Thanks SO MUCH for your time. This is my first time hatching and and I really love these little guys. Their mom died protecting the eggs from a raccoon so they have lots of sentimental value to me.

 

[Pyxis]

Yes, could be. Definitely get it coated up so you can see what's going on. The oil also stops the membrane from drying and becoming stuck to the duckling so it's very important.