Ugh.. when to assist?!

[Knighstar679]

Is it normal for the beak to make almost a chewing motion regularly? I know yawning means absorbing yolk sac - does the rapid beak chewing motion mean the same?

Yes it does. Any yawning or chewing like motions are a sign that the duckling is absorbing yolk.

When I run the qtip around under the edge of the membrane I have the qtip lightly moistened with coconut oil.

 

[bplynk]

Great! Thank you so much!

 

[bplynk]

Is his positioning wrong?

 

[bplynk]

Ok so now he has wiggled through the membrane and is fighting to get out but all that’s out is his bill and foot (which is over his head) what do I do??? His feathers are starting to dry out and there’s not enough membrane for me to moisten anymore — PLEASE HELP!!

 

[bplynk]

UPDATE: As we were approaching over 48 hrs with no progress but still chirping and fighting to escape, I used warm water and coconut oil to soften the rest of the membrane (discovered his wing was stuck). I then candled to make sure I wasn’t disrupting any vessels and I tugged his little head and neck free (which were twisted up under the wing and under the foot). This may sound crazy but when his head came out, I swear he looked at me with this little sigh of relief. Either way, there was no bleeding and his little butt is still in the egg on its side. He’s resting and I’m just praying like crazy I did the right thing. I haven’t slept because I don’t want to lose him or her. I’m hoping he can take it from here and free himself on his own without further assistance. Any feedback out there? It’ll be much appreciated.

 

[Knighstar679]

UPDATE: As we were approaching over 48 hrs with no progress but still chirping and fighting to escape, I used warm water and coconut oil to soften the rest of the membrane (discovered his wing was stuck). I then candled to make sure I wasn’t disrupting any vessels and I tugged his little head and neck free (which were twisted up under the wing and under the foot). This may sound crazy but when his head came out, I swear he looked at me with this little sigh of relief. Either way, there was no bleeding and his little butt is still in the egg on its side. He’s resting and I’m just praying like crazy I did the right thing. I haven’t slept because I don’t want to lose him or her. I’m hoping he can take it from here and free himself on his own without further assistance. Any feedback out there? It’ll be much appreciated.

With everything you have done now you need to leave him alone. It will kick out of the shell when it is ready. If you help any more before that you could cause damage to the yolk sac or umbilical area. It can take hours for that to happen. I just had one that literally took no less than 8 hours to kick off the shell. If it kicks out too early you might have to put it back in the shell and into a cup or shallow tub so it can finish absorbing the yolk.

 

[bplynk]

I did just that and woke up about 30mins ago and he had pushed his way out while I rested and was laying on the other side of the bator. There was some amberish liquid on the paper towel he was on but I said hello to him and he opened his eyes big and started chirping. He couldn’t have been out very long as he is still pretty wet - should I check for hardening, and if so, what can I do to fix that? I can send pics - hang tight.

 

[333113]

What do you mean by "hardening"?

 

[bplynk]

I had read something about fluid that can harden and make it hard for them to move around .. he’s drying slowly I think though - is this his naval and does that look normal - should I do something?

 

[WVduckchick]

Awesome! You did great! Congrats!

The navel is fine, will continue to close up in just a few hours. You can dab some Vaseline or neosporin on it if you want, or just leaving it alone is fine. Just keep it on a dry, soft cloth. Keep away from things that will stick to it, or irritate it.