Oh, very sad. I suppose something could have gone wrong, but this does not sound familiar. I wonder if Lacrystol, who does quite a bit of hatching so she has seen so many ducklings, may have an answer? You could try asking her.
I am thinking about this - realized I ought to say so...
What if there is an itty bitty splinter in the foot? That would keep it swollen.
Epsom salt is a good thing - and it is a laxative so don't let her drink it.
I would say give the babies time to settle in, get used to you, make sure they are stable, health-wise (I am sure they are). You may need to wait a while, till the weather is milder and set up a pen within a pen so the bigs and the littles can just see each other, and you can watch them and...
David Holderread wrote,
People often ask if they should "put down" a bird that has suffered major injuries. In my experience, birds appreciate the opportunity to recover. Ducks have an amazing ability to heal, even from injuries that appear to be catastrophic.
(end of quote)
Glad that...