What do I do?!?

[Knighstar679]

So I am hatching bantam duck eggs. I always put a safety hole in after so many hours after the external pip.

While taking the egg out to put the safety hole the egg slipped and fell onto a carpet floor. The egg shell shattered into pieces. The duckling is still peeping but I am not sure that it is going to be able to hatch now. What can I do to help this little one.

here is the picture of the egg

 

[Pyxis]

It should hopefully be okay. Without the shell to press against to get leverage, it probably won't be able to zip on its own, so this will likely now be a full assist.

Give it until it's been at least 24 hours from the external pip, then open the air cell, moisten the membrane with coconut oil, and see how absorption is progressing.

With the air cell open, hopefully when it's ready it can push itself out.

 

[Ninjasquirrel]

The most important thing is to keep that membrane moist. I mean baste on liquid water every half an hour.

 

[Knighstar679]

It should hopefully be okay. Without the shell to press against to get leverage, it probably won't be able to zip on its own, so this will likely now be a full assist.

Give it until it's been at least 24 hours from the external pip, then open the air cell, moisten the membrane with coconut oil, and see how absorption is progressing.

With the air cell open, hopefully when it's ready it can push itself out.

Is it going to hurt if it’s over 24 hours? I have to got to work at 9am and won’t be back till 9 tomorrow. It external pipped just after I went to work today. So should I open it before work or wait until after to open the air cell?

 

[Pyxis]

Is it going to hurt if it’s over 24 hours? I have to got to work at 9am and won’t be back till 9 tomorrow. It external pipped just after I went to work today. So should I open it before work or wait until after to open the air cell?

I'd wait. Ducks can take a long time to hatch anyway, lol, so waiting a little longer shouldn't hurt.

 

[Knighstar679]

I just got home from work. I found that the baby was doing a lot of flailing around and had torn a hole in the membrane but couldn’t turn more. So I popped off the top where the air cell was and poof into my hand falls little baby duckling dubbed Crash.

 

[catch22]

It should hopefully be okay. Without the shell to press against to get leverage, it probably won't be able to zip on its own, so this will likely now be a full assist.

Give it until it's been at least 24 hours from the external pip, then open the air cell, moisten the membrane with coconut oil, and see how absorption is progressing.

With the air cell open, hopefully when it's ready it can push itself out.

Hello Pyxis, hopefully you don't mind my butting in here. I too am hatching a batch of call babes. I'm super nervous about them as my bator went off for about 24+ hrs. I adjusted my date for them and pushed them back (still have viable moving chicks) and it is lockdown period. I have one that has internally pipped. I put in an air hole. The rest however look as if they are too far behind this egg to be hatching within the next couple. When I candle I can see movement but the shell isn't as full of duckling as would be expected at this time. There is still a lot of membrane in the shell. I'm worried they are going to be very staggered and I'm going to miss a duck if I don't put in holes. But I also do not know if this will harm a duckling that is 4 days from hatching?

 

[Knighstar679]

Hello Pyxos, hopefully you don't mind my butting in here. I too am hatching a batch of call babes. I'm super nervous about them as my bator went off for about 24+ hrs. I adjusted my date for them and pushed them back (still have viable moving chicks) and it is lockdown period. I have one that has internally pipped. I put in an air hole. The rest however look as if they are too far behind this egg to be hatching within the next couple. When I candle I can see movement but the shell isn't as full of duckling as would be expected at this time. There is still a lot of membrane in the shell. I'm worried they are going to be very staggered and I'm going to miss a duck if I don't put in holes. But I also do not know if this will harm a duckling that is 4 days from hatching?

It is a valid concern. If it were me I would try to keep an eye on them and the safety hole them. If you do it too soon you can dry them out. But let’s see what Pyxis says. I might have it wrong.

 

[Pyxis]

I agree, I wouldn't do safety holes until you see internal pips. Just candle twice a day to check for them, and do the safety hole once you see them

 

[catch22]

I agree, I wouldn't do safety holes until you see internal pips. Just candle twice a day to check for them, and do the safety hole once you see them

Will candling them all twice a day result in sticky chicks? I have one little guy who has a big enough hole in his egg that I can see his beak. He has a gummy membrane stuck to him. Is this due to opening and candling? Any ideas on how to keep this from happening to the others?