Help! what to do with egg peeping but not pipping?

[L0rraine]

I've posted this request on the chicken threads as well, but didn't want to miss any helpful advice.

The final egg in my hatch of seven duck eggs (six were out and healthy by this morning) is still peeping, but has NO pips. Momma duck is still sitting on it, but what do I do tomorrow if there are still no pips? If I 'should' interfere? does anyone have any cautionary tips? - my one and only previous attempt at helping a duckling out ended in heartbreak.

 

[WalkingWolf]

Candle the egg if you can, as long as there is a air pocket I would leave it. The duckling is growing and might outgrow the shell and suffocate. I have lost a couple chicks this way under broody hens. But then they probably were not healthy enough to make it anyway.

 

[L0rraine]

I candled this morning and there was still an air pocket. The duckling had pipped internally and you could see his beak and head in the air pocket. The other eggs in this batch progressed so well I had high hopes that all the eggs would hatch quickly. The last time I hatched under a broody hen (rather than a duck) and only two eggs made it this far and never did emerge from the shell. I tried to help one after four days of peeping, but it died right after I got it out of the shell, and it still had a substantial yoke attached, so I thought I shouldn't have interfered, but the one I didn't help didn't make it either.

 

[4-H chicken mom]

Since you candled this morning and it was in the air cell. If nothing happens by the morning here's what I have done. Candle the egg again to make sure it is still alive, take note where the ducklings head is. If it is not too late you can create a small hole in the air cell by the ducklings head. This will give the duckling air. This is going to take several hours to help. Once the duckling starts to breath the air is when the yolk starts to be absorb. You can't hurry this. Start by breaking away small pieces of the shell away from the inital hole. Don't tear away the membrane unless your are certain the blood vains are drying up. I keep a syringe of warm water on hand to keep the membrane moist. As you peel the shell off you are bound to run into blood, when you do you will need to stop and wait at least an hour before you proceed again. This is going to be difficult removing and putting the egg back under a broody duck. I took over 6 hours to do this with incubator duck eggs. This gives the yolk time to get absorbed. As I worked around the egg to free the duckling it started to kick more and I let them finish pushing out of the egg. This is the same information that Meyer hatchery gave me about helping. They said that the hatch rate of ducks especially bantam ducks is not that great. They don't help anything to hatch because they don't have the time to spend helping birds hatch. That is why they quit carrying some types of ducks. The weren't getting a good hatch rate.
Some people will say it is not good to help with hatching, but I just can't stand by and watch something die that I could possibly help to live. Especially if the reason it may not be able to hatch is because of an incubation error that could be my fault to begin with.
Good luck with whatever you decide to do. This is totally going to be your call. I will

that all this will be a mute point by the morning.

 

[L0rraine]

THANKS! Before I read your post this morning, I was out checking on the egg, more worried that if the duck didn't give up on the egg, the first duckling to hatch (48 hours ago) was going to start getting pretty hungry. I candled and there wasn't much movement or any peeps but there was a TINY pip. I peeled a bit of shell off and punctured the membrane and a tiny peep came out of the little beak right by the air hole. I gave the duckling a tiny bit of breathing room, but the membrane looks pretty dried out. I put it back under the duck for warmth and came back in to see if there were any posts. Yours made me feel like I'd done all I can do for starters - so thank you. I think we'll lose this one, but it helps to feel like I've at least tried something.

 

[southern oaks]

I have had one in the bator peeping for 2 days, but no pipping has yet occured.

 

[destinduck]

Great advice 4-H. ive had them peep for 2 days tops. They pip by then(external). I always go with the flock mentality of most bust out at the same time.Then I give a extra day or even two for the remainder. But most of the time the baby is 1. deformed somehow or 2. Late hatching and/ or weak. But if you dont do anything its a sure bet it will die. Now if this happens outside with a duck or broody I have never seen one make it. And there is about a 50/50 chance its going to make it anyway. Even in a controlled enviorment such as an incubator. hope this helps.