I'm sorry to hear about the trouble you are having with your little duckling. I too have had to stress about whether or not to assist with the baby ducklings hatch. In the end I have made the decision numerous times now when it just seemed like there was no other choice. You said that there was a nickel sized hole in the egg. Can you tell if the baby is in the correct position? (Head at air hole end) Or was the hole pipped at the opposite end of the air hole? If you can in fact see the baby ducklings face and see that he is breathing, you may try giving him a few drops of sugar water to keep up his energy with the hatch. I would give him about 5 drops of sugar water every 20-30 minutes or so and see if that helps. I don't know where you are, but here it is 9pm. I would see if he has made any progress by morning. If he hasn't I would gently start peeling away small pieces of the shell. Not a lot. Just enough to give him a boost of help. If he still isn't making any progress after a few hours I would then attempt to slowly and carefully remove the shell bit by bit. You have to wash your hands though before and after touching the egg. Bacteria can very easily be introduced and kill the baby. Once you have him out of the egg if there is a little blood that is normal. If you still see quite a bit of exposed yolk on his tummy that did not finish absorbing that will mean that he probably isn't going to make it. Do you know if his hatch is on schedule? Early, Late, etc. I will find a link for you shortly. Oh, I also forgot you need to make sure that the baby doesn't get dried out inside the egg. If you look inside the hole you should be able to see a film where the air hole is separated from the rest of the egg. If too much time passes, that film can dry out and can shrink wrap the baby suffocating it. Did you have the egg under a broody bird, or in an incubator? Duck eggs are harder than other eggs and require a lot of humidity to help soften the shell come hatch. If you still have it inside something try keeping the humidity level up. Will find that link for you and send it soon.
