Dead ducklings :(

[West coast Ali]

I have two Black Swedes sitting on eggs. I had one successful duckling and have found 4 dead babies in the duck stall over the last two days. I have two other ducks another hen and a drake. They do have access to the duck stall as that is where the food is (to keep away from our goats)
Three of the babies were still wet so died fairly young but one had been alive longer as it was fluffy. I find them in the morning so I am assuming possibly the drake. I don't find them in the nesting area but on the other side of the stall. Do you think it is the drake? The mom's still have eggs to hatch and I haven't seen them leave the nest since they first one hatched but I am not there all the time. I have fresh water right beside the nesting box, they can essentially reach it without getting up.
Should I block them off from the other ducks? Do I take the eggs away and let them hatch under a heat lamp? Would the Mom's be doing this? I have tried to read everything I can find on allowing ducks to sit/hatch/and raise the babies themselves but feeling a little disheartened right now.

 

[Northwest_Wannabe]

I would keep the moms separate from the rest of the flock (and maybe from each other just in case) and see how that goes. If then you find dead ducklings when no other duck besides the particular mom whose on them has access to them, bring the eggs in to hatch. Sorry about your loss :'(

 

[EverythingDucks]

So so sorry for your loss

I agree, they should be separated from your other birds. It was most likely the drake.
What did they look like? Was there lots of blood, any puncture wounds, etc?

 

[KaleIAm]

I would keep the moms separate from the rest of the flock (and maybe from each other just in case) and see how that goes. If then you find dead ducklings when no other duck besides the particular mom whose on them has access to them, bring the eggs in to hatch. Sorry about your loss :'(

x2

Sorry about your loss.

 

[West coast Ali]

So so sorry for your loss

I agree, they should be separated from your other birds. It was most likely the drake.
What did they look like? Was there lots of blood, any puncture wounds, etc?

no woulds that I could see, no blood. One was flattened.

 

[Northwest_Wannabe]

no woulds that I could see, no blood. One was flattened.

They very easily could have been smooshed or sat on too hard (at our house we have a big cochin who used to be our main broody, we'd joke that she'd 'love them to death' cause she was a little clumsy, and had a lot of junk in the trunk, but was a fantastic mom and only ever lost 2 chicks this way) Flattening could also be due to another duck just stepping on them, could be that they wandered away from the nest and got cold. I've had chickens escape even the fiercest broody moms and get lost. Sorry again for your losses

 

[West coast Ali]

UPDATE: I seperated the Duck Stall so each Hen has her own nesting box and I split the eggs between them. The one little duckling has been going back and forth between his moms as the barrier between them is a metal dog pen and it can fit through. I also have the other ducks seperated as well. This morning we had no new ducklings but we had no dead ducklings. Fingers crossed. Thanks for the advice.

 

[Northwest_Wannabe]

You should probably make it so the ducklings can't escape, that would be most safe.