Weird Assisted hatch

Treezie03 · May 4, 2020

Advice needed. Is there a way to get the membrane blood vessels to dry up more quickly in an egg about to hatch?

here’s the story; I have experience with assisting hatch and always had good luck. In my incubator I have 9 duck eggs. One had a very small air sac (SAS) with no internal pip. The rest looked text book, so we went into lockdown. SAS did an external pip on the wrong end of the egg. Standard upside down duckling. So I watched and waited. The external pip was done well and SAS is breathing.

Slowly over 3 days time each egg pips, zips and hatches. SAS has zero progress just lots of calling and sounding distressed. As I remove ducklings periodically to the brooder I become concerned about SAS getting stuck. I decided to start assisting. I start peeling the shell around the external pip to open a better airway and sure enough it’s very dry and stiff. I work my way around the air sac at the other end removing shell and being careful with the membrane. I decide to test the membrane and see a pin prick of blood so I stop for the day.

Everyone has hatched except SAS. I have spent the day removing shell and stopping when I see the membrane isn’t ready. This duck is now 100% membrane. No more shell. I keep wetting a q-tip and dabbing it around the pip hole to help it stay supple. It’s like a kid stuck in a sleeping bag

When I try to help tear some membrane I see a pin prick of blood and stop. The poor thing can’t get free of this membrane without bleeding. What’s the best action! Dry out a bit? Keep moist?

Friendly_Lurker · May 4, 2020

Keep it damp, make sure it isn't getting to cold. It might not be the duckling bleeding, often there's just some blood in the egg. Try to get the duckling out.

Isaac 0 · May 4, 2020

The duckling is still absorbing, you can't rush this process. Ducklings that pip on the wrong side are internally and externally piping at the same time, so it will take them a lot longer, over three days wouldn't be uncommon, as in your case. Ideally, most of the shell would still be intact to prevent premature drying out of the membrane, but since it's not you will have to keep the humidity fairly high and moisten the membrane often. Do not try to assist the duckling anymore until the veins recede.

Isaac 0 · May 4, 2020

Moistening the membrane with water may chill the duckling and will actually pull moisture away from the membrane, best to use either Neosporin, coconut oil, or food-grade mineral oil.

Treezie03 · May 4, 2020

Thanks for the advice. As I posted this he gave a big stretch and some membrane torn and his head popped out, haha. The blood I saw was not vessels after all but blood inside the egg which is weird. Within minutes he was fully out and as I gently pulled the membrane off I saw no evidence of yolk sac. Everything was absorbed. I think he’s been ready for a long time. I just kept stopping when I saw the blood but probably could’ve kept going. Well that one was for the history books. He’s happily sleeping in the brooder with siblings. Thanks!