Assisting a Gosling's Hatch (He Pipped on the Wrong End of the Egg)

This gosling pipped on the wrong end of the egg and couldn't hatch, so we had to assist. He pipped normally, unzipped normally, and was so close to hatching...but the opening was too small. We had to chip a large section of the shell off before his head finally came free.

See a compilation of this gosling's first week of life here:    • Imprinted Baby Gosling Living in Our House  

If you are helping a chick, duckling, or gosling to hatch, BE CAREFUL. It's VERY EASY to kill a baby when assisting.

Firstly, you probably SHOULDN'T assist at all. Hatching is a long process, much longer than many people think. After the external pip, it usually takes AT LEAST 24 hours for the baby to hatch, and up to 48 hours.

If more than 48 hours have elapsed, or if you seriously think something is wrong (such as if the baby has pipped on the narrow end of the egg, or if you think it's shrink wrapped), you may assist...BUT...this is a big but...but only if there are NO BLOOD VESSELS.

If you see blood vessels inside the egg, DO NOT TOUCH THAT EGG. If these rupture, the baby will probably die. Wait until all the blood vessels have receded before assisting.

Yes, I know it looks like the baby is not making progress. I know you're impatient and you just want your precious baby out. The problem is, you'll just have to wait. It's normal for the baby to make ZERO progress after pipping, for hours and hours on end. This boring but crucial period is the time when the chick, duckling, or gosling absorbs the yolk sac and blood vessels surrounding it. Many newbies get impatient and worried because they think nothing is happening, and they think they need to help. Instead, helping at this time could bring disaster:

In summary: wait. Do not assist a hatch until at least 24 hours have elapsed since the external pip, and even then, only if you think something is seriously wrong and only if there are no blood vessels.

For more information, regardless of whether you have a chick, duckling, or gosling, visit https://www.raising-ducks.com/when-as....