Abacot Ranger ducks

Cool thanks :) so yesterday 2 of 4 hatched out! :D will download the pictures off my phone later and post them up.

I am concerned about the second one that hatched.. Last night in the brooder, it was very quiet, wasn't making much progress with getting up and holding its head up, but has dried out nicely.. It's belly button looks a little sore as well, with a bit of the embryo (?) suck to it that's basically turned into a scab over night..
I've checked it this morning, and it's still alive, but still very quiet, struggles to move, and still hasn't opened its eyes properly yet

Am I going to loose this lil one? :(
 
Usually when chicks or ducks have just hatched, they are left in the incubator until fully fluffed and mobile. It may be the little fella needed more time before being transferred into the brooder.
 
That's what I thought too.. It seems to be perking up quite a bit now though.. Making a bot of noise, trying to move around and keeping its head up on its own too, so fingers crossed, it'll pull through!
 
What has happened by the sound of things is the yolk sac hasn't been fully absorbed (through the navel). This is what feeds them for the first 24-48 hours of life and is probably why he doesn't have much energy. If it has been partially absorbed, he should still be strong enough to pull through (especially if he's holding his head up now).

I usually feed hard boiled egg yolk to give them a boost if they are weak. You can crumble it and feed it a little at a time.
 
ahh ok.. sounds probably then because the neighbour said there was a fair amount of the yolk left when it hatched, but he took it off.. shame, but he's been breeding and hatching chickens for nearly 35 years, so i guess he expects a few losses by now!

i did read that you can give hard boiled yolk to them for a boost, but how is best to do it? and should it be warm, or left to go cold? any advice would be much appreciated, as i really dont wana loose the lil thing!!
 
out of interest aswell (seeing as though i;ve just witnessed a swallowing problem!) do the ducklings automatically know to use water to wash their food down with? or do they need showing? just that the first hatched was gobbling down food, but not taking any water with it really..

dont want a choking incident, especially seeing as the second to hatch isnt doing great anyway!!
 
Ducklings will instinctively dabble if shown their water. Make sure the drinker is close to their feeder, and maybe dip his bill in the water to get him started. You could sprinkle a few of the duck crumbs into the drinker for encouragement.
 
Yeah they got the hang of it.. Went in earlier this morning to say hi, and they have made such a mess lol! Plus theres all food in the water, so they got it :D

They are so boisterous and mischievous already!! Got lots a pictures to upload soon too :D
 
Sorry for another question.. P.S. I'll post pics at the weekend :D

One of the ducklings was sick today when I picked it up.. Is this normal, or something I need to worry about? It was a kind of clear, ever so slightly milky colour, but more clear than anything
 
Aww it's horrible when that happens. Usually it's just where you put pressure on their crop. Should be ok, keep an eye on the little one.
 
it was a bit gross lol!! but never mind eh! i'll be a bit more careful!

i cant believe how quick they are growing tho! it's crazy how much bigger they are already! and soo messy!! i know i was warned, but dammmn!! lol!!

also, the lil poor do'er is doing much better now aswell.. started moving around on its own, feeding and drinking now too!! the other 2 bigger babies arent picking on it either which is good :D the only thing is, we think it mgiht be either blind, or hard of seeing, as it's eyes are cloudy, and it does tend to bump into things, and appears to not really know where/what its doing, if that makes sense?

any tips/ideas?
 
So after saying yesterday that the lil one is doing better, check on them this morning, and its spaced out just outside the 'nest' it's head and partial right side is all wet, and it's belly is looking very bloated :( any ideas or suggestions?
 
Hope you've got a swap deal with your neighbour. A trio of ducklings could give you 3 drakes or 2 drakes and 1 duck, neither of which are ideal combinations. Of course your neighbour might be able to sex day old ducklings but I can't until they are several weeks old and the quack changes!
 
Yes we have.. We think we have one drake and 2 ducks, but one of the ducks isn't doing well at all, as you can read in my previous post :(
 
Well lil poor do'er has passed away :( checked on them about half an hour ago, and it was on its back and going g a bit stiff..

It fought hard, but finally just wasn't strong enough.. R.I.P. Lil one xXx
 
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