Days old duckling sitting down

[cnielsen]

We ordered 4 duckling from Metzer farms, our first time ordering online. They hatched on the fifth. They got here on thursday, when we ordered them monday. We ordered two buffs and two runner ducks, one of the buffs was dead when we opened the box. it had its intestines out and looked flat.
upon taking out the other ducklings and giving them food, water, and heat, i’m noticing two things.
One of the runner ducklings is sitting down a lot. it eats and drinks, and preens it’s feathers, but it looks tired and doesn’t stand up straight like the others. What is wrong with it? is there anything we can do?
Another thing is our buff duckling keeps biting the other two on their wings, and i think it hurts them. why is it doing that?
Please help me out if you can, we’re really sad about the one we lost and don’t want to lost another.
the duckling in the middle is the one we’re worried about...

 

[cnielsen]

We ordered 4 duckling from Metzer farms, our first time ordering online. They hatched on the fifth. They got here on thursday, when we ordered them monday. We ordered two buffs and two runner ducks, one of the buffs was dead when we opened the box. it had its intestines out and looked flat.
upon taking out the other ducklings and giving them food, water, and heat, i’m noticing two things.
One of the runner ducklings is sitting down a lot. it eats and drinks, and preens it’s feathers, but it looks tired and doesn’t stand up straight like the others. What is wrong with it? is there anything we can do?
Another thing is our buff duckling keeps biting the other two on their wings, and i think it hurts them. why is it doing that?
Please help me out if you can, we’re really sad about the one we lost and don’t want to lost another.
the duckling in the middle is the one we’re worried about...

we separated the mean one from the other two. we also put some sugar in the water and gave them some egg yolk, the weak one is perking up already

 

[HollowOfWisps]

We ordered 4 duckling from Metzer farms, our first time ordering online. They hatched on the fifth. They got here on thursday, when we ordered them monday. We ordered two buffs and two runner ducks, one of the buffs was dead when we opened the box. it had its intestines out and looked flat.
upon taking out the other ducklings and giving them food, water, and heat, i’m noticing two things.
One of the runner ducklings is sitting down a lot. it eats and drinks, and preens it’s feathers, but it looks tired and doesn’t stand up straight like the others. What is wrong with it? is there anything we can do?
Another thing is our buff duckling keeps biting the other two on their wings, and i think it hurts them. why is it doing that?
Please help me out if you can, we’re really sad about the one we lost and don’t want to lost another.
the duckling in the middle is the one we’re worried about...

The one sitting down more than likely just needed rest and nourishment. When you say they arrived Thursday I'm assuming you mean today? If so sitting down is going to be completely normal on the first day. Newly hatched ducklings tend to rest a lot because they become exausted from hatching. Then add on top of that the stress of being put into a small box immediately that is constantly being jostled, being trapped in there with a dead counterpart and being absolutely frightened while trying to adjust to a new environment. Any new ducklings of mine are immediately put on an electrolyte vitamin mix whether I hatched them myself or bring them home. I would highly recommend running to tractor supply or your local farm/feed store and buying some. Also are your ducklings on a duckling specific crumble or being given a form of niacin?

 

[cnielsen]

Yes, i did mean today, my bad. That’s very true, i’m sure the poor things are a bit traumatized from the whole experience. They are on a duckling specific starter crumble with 22% protein. we do have brewers yeast just in case though. She’s starting to eat more and they aren’t picking on each other nearly as much. We will definitely pick some of that up. thank you!

The one sitting down more than likely just needed rest and nourishment. When you say they arrived Thursday I'm assuming you mean today? If so sitting down is going to be completely normal on the first day. Newly hatched ducklings tend to rest a lot because they become exausted from hatching. Then add on top of that the stress of being put into a small box immediately that is constantly being jostled, being trapped in there with a dead counterpart and being absolutely frightened while trying to adjust to a new environment. Any new ducklings of mine are immediately put on an electrolyte vitamin mix whether I hatched them myself or bring them home. I would highly recommend running to tractor supply or your local farm/feed store and buying some. Also are your ducklings on a duckling specific crumble or being given a form of niacin?

 

[Isaac 0]

Good advice from @AstroDuck . You can drip a few drops of a poultry vitamin, or Gatorade along their bill a few times a day as well as offer mashed scrambled eggs which are high in several vitamins. It's essential they be kept warm at all times until they're in better condition.

 

[cnielsen]

thank you very much.. She is perking up a bit, we dipped her beak into sugar water every 10-15 minutes for a few hours and now she’s drinking on her own. hatchery things she is dehydrated. she also has been eating lots of scrambled egg in tiny pieces and drinking water on her own. i really hope she makes it through this first night. thanks for the help!

Good advice from @AstroDuck . You can drip a few drops of a poultry vitamin, or Gatorade along their bill a few times a day as well as offer mashed scrambled eggs which are high in several vitamins. It's essential they be kept warm at all times until they're in better condition.

 

[Isaac 0]

thank you very much.. She is perking up a bit, we dipped her beak into sugar water every 10-15 minutes for a few hours and now she’s drinking on her own. hatchery things she is dehydrated. she also has been eating lots of scrambled egg in tiny pieces and drinking water on her own. i really hope she makes it through this first night. thanks for the help!

Keep us posted on how she does. Best of luck.

 

[DuckyDonna]

Try cooking up some eggs and chop them up very fine. @Miss Lydia saved a couple of her shipped ducklings by doing that.

 

[Miss Lydia]

How’s your duckling?

 

[cnielsen]

How’s your duckling?

she’s doing so good! eating and drinking normally, and standing up straight. she’s so sweet too. we’ve named her bean, because she is too cute. thanks for all the help!