Found a dead duckling in a shallow pool yesterday. I need any help/advice anyone can give be for the next 6 that may hatch to help them survive.
A little background-
Long story short. Two Broodys, Hoover & Wendy, have been sharing a nest and didn't wait for a clutch before they started sitting. Sitting started on May 25 or 26th. Did not think the eggs were fertilized but they were. Stopped laying after 7 eggs. So I am expecting 1-2 ducklings over a span of 3-6 daysish. A third duck, Elsa, has been with them the entire time and stopped laying on June 1st but doesn't lay on the nest. (All 3 of them have been separated from the rest of the flock and put in "rehab coop" for treatment of various things since May 12). btw I have NO idea what I'm doing as this was all unexpected so any advice would be greatly appreciated!
Need Help:
Yesterday a.m. I let them out like normal and counted eggs. All 7 were there and from what I could see without disturbing the nest they all looked in tact. I then went down to the pond house to let the rest of the flock out. By the time I got back up to the rehab coop Hoover was bringing an egg out of the nest and dropped it in the run. It was broken open and she ate the yolk along with Elsa. About a half hour later I went to change the pools in the rehab run and found a what looked to be a fully formed duckling, dead in it. I have no idea what happened. Did it die coming out of the egg? Did they kill it? Was it just a bad egg/duckling and they had to get rid of it? There is no way it could have made it into the pool on it's own. One of them had to have carried it over and put it in.
My hearts broken. Has anyone experienced something like this? Is there anything I can do to keep the rest safe if they hatch? Should I just trust that the mommas know what they are doing?
Added strange info: Last night when I put them to bed I checked the eggs again and there were 9! So all three of the girls laid an egg sometime after the duckling died/was kicked out. !!!! Is that normal? The eggs are not marked because every time I tried the marks would come off in a day or two. I know the original 6 were well formed from learning on here how to candle them.
Should I leave the nest alone or should I candle again tonight and take out the new eggs? Would that just make them all lay again? Would candling at this point hurt the formed ones?
Please help with any info you might have. Sorry this post is so long. Thank you!
A little background-
Long story short. Two Broodys, Hoover & Wendy, have been sharing a nest and didn't wait for a clutch before they started sitting. Sitting started on May 25 or 26th. Did not think the eggs were fertilized but they were. Stopped laying after 7 eggs. So I am expecting 1-2 ducklings over a span of 3-6 daysish. A third duck, Elsa, has been with them the entire time and stopped laying on June 1st but doesn't lay on the nest. (All 3 of them have been separated from the rest of the flock and put in "rehab coop" for treatment of various things since May 12). btw I have NO idea what I'm doing as this was all unexpected so any advice would be greatly appreciated!
Need Help:
Yesterday a.m. I let them out like normal and counted eggs. All 7 were there and from what I could see without disturbing the nest they all looked in tact. I then went down to the pond house to let the rest of the flock out. By the time I got back up to the rehab coop Hoover was bringing an egg out of the nest and dropped it in the run. It was broken open and she ate the yolk along with Elsa. About a half hour later I went to change the pools in the rehab run and found a what looked to be a fully formed duckling, dead in it. I have no idea what happened. Did it die coming out of the egg? Did they kill it? Was it just a bad egg/duckling and they had to get rid of it? There is no way it could have made it into the pool on it's own. One of them had to have carried it over and put it in.
My hearts broken. Has anyone experienced something like this? Is there anything I can do to keep the rest safe if they hatch? Should I just trust that the mommas know what they are doing?
Added strange info: Last night when I put them to bed I checked the eggs again and there were 9! So all three of the girls laid an egg sometime after the duckling died/was kicked out. !!!! Is that normal? The eggs are not marked because every time I tried the marks would come off in a day or two. I know the original 6 were well formed from learning on here how to candle them.
Should I leave the nest alone or should I candle again tonight and take out the new eggs? Would that just make them all lay again? Would candling at this point hurt the formed ones?
Please help with any info you might have. Sorry this post is so long. Thank you!
