Weird duck hatching, yolk sack still attached

[BelovedBirds]

So we just hatched 14 ducklings, most went just fine, the last 2 have been really bizarre. The second to last one was the first to hard pipp and then decided to do nothing for more than 50 hours. She did make it though, but we about screwed it up completely helping her, but she was finally able to get free.

The one we're currently hoping makes it hard pipped and pecked a roughly half inch hole in the shell, very similar to the other one. We left her alone, and she hadn't progressed in about 55 hours, so we widened the hole a bit just around the air sac, the whole time it would stick it's beak out and chirp a lot, but never zipped. We looked in this morning and literally, the entire egg was full of liquid yolk. We heard her sneezing because she was drowning in yolk. So, my guess is it was a double yolk shell and popped the second one thrashing around with it not being used and about drown in it, does this sound normal or logical?

After that it managed to squeeze out the hole, but still somehow hadn't absorbed it's own yolk sac, so we are trying the cup with wet paper towel method hoping it survives. Have never seen anything quite like this, although I'm no expert on hatching ducks, just have done it enough in the last 7 or so year to know this isn't normal. Feel really bad for the thing as she's been covered in sticky yolk despite our efforts to clean her.

Any other suggestions, our incubator is very good at both temp and humidity control, we're really just hoping there's a way she can pull through this one.

dont use a wet paper towel as it could chill her, its best to sit her on clean dry paper towels, keeping everything dry and clean, away from any other ducklings.

 

[BelovedBirds]

She's in a cup now and I don't want to move her much, we didn't unfortunately take any pics at the time we were moving her, I can take a picture of the yolk we poured out though but was just normal yellow as if out of a somewhat fresh egg. We didn't see it candling though, but couldn't come up with any other explanation for it.

how is she today?

 

[jestep]

Well she didn't put up with the cup for long and knocked it over so we just eventually left her in the incubator by herself after giving her water a few times. We ended up cutting the yolk sac off this morning, it was pretty much completely dry and was starting to cause a hernia, we were gone all day and when we got back it looks like the rest fell off. She's super tiny but made friends with the other rough hatching duck, who is the same age, but these are the only 2 we kept out of this batch. She's dry, just still matted from some of the yolk that we couldn't remove but still feisty as ever.

Anyway, weirdest 2 hatched eggs I've seen, but looks like it's going to be a happy ending at this point.

 

[jestep]

Also, with the wet paper towel, there were numerous threads here suggesting it, so that's why we tried it and not a dry one, or just leaving her in the incubator, there were others suggesting just laying a wet paper towel over a bird in this condition, that seemed pretty futile since they like to move around. My guess is the suggestion was to try and keep everything moist still, IDK, that's definitely not one I came up with myself.

 

[BelovedBirds]

Well she didn't put up with the cup for long and knocked it over so we just eventually left her in the incubator by herself after giving her water a few times. We ended up cutting the yolk sac off this morning, it was pretty much completely dry and was starting to cause a hernia, we were gone all day and when we got back it looks like the rest fell off. She's super tiny but made friends with the other rough hatching duck, who is the same age, but these are the only 2 we kept out of this batch. She's dry, just still matted from some of the yolk that we couldn't remove but still feisty as ever.

Anyway, weirdest 2 hatched eggs I've seen, but looks like it's going to be a happy ending at this point.

what do you mean by "causing a hernia"? Could you describe it?

 

[jestep]

what do you mean by "causing a hernia"? Could you describe it?

She was stepping on the yolk sac and her stomach basically was basically looking inverted, like a human with a really bad umbilical hernia. If that's not the same then disregard my comment.

She's doing well though but is still super tiny, like 1/3 the size of her sister, picture doesn't do it justice, she is handedly the smallest duck I've ever seen at this age.

 

[BelovedBirds]

She was stepping on the yolk sac and her stomach basically was basically looking inverted, like a human with a really bad umbilical hernia. If that's not the same then disregard my comment.

She's doing well though but is still super tiny, like 1/3 the size of her sister, picture doesn't do it justice, she is handedly the smallest duck I've ever seen at this age.

hopefully she'll catch up! She's gorgeous

 

[jestep]

I did not think domestic ducks imprint, but these 2 definitely did. It's been about 85 - 90 the last few days so have gotten a lot of outdoor time and a few swims in a warm water tupperware container. I can't wait to see what the darker one looks like since she's a hybrid white duclair and buff orpington, we aptly named her Yoki.