Bent up leg on my duckling

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Hanlills777

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One duckling pipped this morning two days late and made it's way out slowly today. When it was almost out I noticed a yellow bubble on it's tummy that was then attached to the shell still, I assume this was the yolk sac? It continued to struggle and I was afraid it would pull completely out too early and tear the yellow bubble but after some hours the bubble has now gone and the duckling is now free of the egg. I removed the egg shell quickly, it was quite mucky inside with a little yellow snotty substance at the bottom.

The duckling is resting a lot as I know it should but one of it's legs it keeps pulling up so that is up next to it's belly and not down like the other one. I'm hoping it's from the angle it was at when it was hatching as it came out very very slowly and from what I can remember I thought I saw it's leg stuck at that angle on the membrane once but I've had a quick look and tried to move it back and she just keeps pulling it back. Her toes seem curled under also. Is it something that is a big worry or will it correct itself as she gets stronger and starts walking. She is moving around the incubator but not by walking, almost by shuffling awkardly. Any suggestions?
 
Well it has hatched late, and by the sound hadn't quite absorbed the egg yolk, the swelling could be just fluid that may sort it self out. Keep a close eye the duckling may just need a bit extra time in the incubator to rest and gain strength.
 
Checked in this morning and tummy isn't swollen. Still has a little protusion where her cord is and it's dried up but still yellow/orange. I've put her in the brooder and they pecked her a lot to begin with but I sat with them for 3 hours and she's doing better. She can walk on her leg and it doesn't look as bent but she hops rather than walks properly at the moment. It has gotten stronger since she's had time to move around though. Had another one hatch this morning (3 days late) but it only has it's head out and it isn't struggling to get out much but I can see a yolk sac again so I'm guessing its lying still and absorbing it. It's head keeps drying out though, and therefore so does it's eyes, should I try and keep her head wet?
 
What's the humidity and tempreature in the incubator? Every time you open it, you lose humidity and the temperature drops, and both these things take time to normalise. Because of your circumstances, you've not had an ideal opportunity to let these chicks develop without interruptions, and having to move the incubator in the final hours may not have helped. You've done well to get the others out, and I'm glad the last one seems to be holding her own, but maybe the best thing for the remaining baby in the incubator is to make sure it's nice and humid and warm in there, and just leave it alone, don't open the incubator again, and don't interfere with the duckling. If you try to do an assisted hatch on one that is hatching very late anand slow, the shock will most probably kill it, or it will die soon after because it wasn't developed enough to survive anyway.
Why not go out for a nice long walk in the Spring sunshine and see what has happened in a couple of hours when you get back? Good luck, and let us know how it goes.
 
She's still alive but the yolk sac is still the same size it was earlier, it doesn't seem to be absorbing at all. She's very dry and very weak and I honestly don't think she'll make it :( my incubator seems to recover everything very quickly, I've tried keeping her moist but it does involve lifting the lid. Temp is 37.0 and humidity rises quickly to between 75-77 and then slowly climbs back up to 80. She's still holding on but when she cheeps the yolk sac seems to move too so I'm thinking she's not developed down there. It's so so horrible watching her struggle, she's been holding on for 12 hours now and it's heartbreaking to just watch it happen :( like you say she's 3 days late and by the looks of it very under developed. All I can do is hope and check on her before bed and in the morning and hope she's ok. If the sac absorbs but the membrane dries around her so she can't get free of the egg will she still survive?
 
I'm so sorry. Hannah, it must be realy hard, watching her. At least it's happening at home, and not in front of the children.
How long do you intend to keep the ducklings in the classroom before they go back to the place the eggs come from? It will be very difficult to part with them, after all you've gone through together!
 
I was planning on keeping them until the end of term which is two weeks on Friday so they'll be three weeks old by then. They're already starting to jump the side of the brooder though, I don't know what I'm going to use next week when they're bigger. I'm also excited about their first swim, I have a water tray ready :) The children saw one duckling stuck in it's shell on Thursday morning (Peter) and another one die over the course of Friday morning and my head is making sure I teach them about death as well as life, even though they're only 3. They've coped very well with it though. Fingers crossed for little Alice, I'll let you know the outcome. Also will try to post pics soon :)
 
Don't swim them too soon Hanlills. They will get waterlogged and cold. The mother preens them in the wild and adds her oil to their feathers. They can't produce their own oil until they are 6 weeks old, so until then I would keep them well away from water.
 
I use a paint tray for my ducklings, and at first just have a little water for them to paddle in and splash around. They are a good shape for the young ducklings to climb out of easily.
 
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