10 hours after hatch and duckling isnt strong enough to stand

[AspliHjem]

We ordered 12 hatching eggs, but only two pipped and hatched (there was a mail delay so they spent like 8 days in the post).

The one hatched great on his own and is doing super well. But the other one just made one external pip on the wrong end, which just got bigger and bigger. After 30 hours it was clear that he wasnt going to get out on his own, so I assisted by basically doing the unzip. But i did need to make it a very gracious unzip for him to be strong enough to come out.

Since he pushed out, hes been sleeping on the floor of the incubator. Occassionally he lifts his head and looks around. He also moves, but never lifts his chest, just kicks himself around, meanwhile his brother is running around all over the place.

I'm hoping hes just exhausted, and since the brother will need a friend, i really hope he pulls through. Anything I can do to help?

 

[Debbie292d]

Gosh sorry nobody answered. I'm very experienced hatching chicken eggs, but not so much with ducks. I would have suggested just to leave him in the incubator another 12/24 hours to rest.

How are this one and his sibling doing?

 

[SnackMeat]

I would probably give the duckling a couple days to rest and then start cup therapy five times a day. It's what we did with chicks who had weak legs, though typically with splay leg so they had a hobble. But you would choose a cup the right size to hold them up so they can sit but they can also push up with their legs (because they want to get out of the cup.)

Sounds like the duckling is simply tired from a hard hatch and maybe needed a couple days extra to really mature but ran out of room.