Duckling attacked by ants during hatching - please help!

Fred4761

Chirping
Jan 4, 2018
22
59
69
Hi, I have had ducklings hatching under mother duck today. I last checked on them a few hours ago and when I checked again the Mama duck was squawking. Meat ants were all over the last remaining duckling that was still hatching. The other hatched ducklings are fine and the ants aren’t interested in them. When I lasted checked this duckling was about halfway hatched out of the shell and now the shell is separated from it. I thought the duckling must have died so reached it to remove it and dunked it into the duck pond to wash of the ants before disposing of it. It made a few small cheeps and I realised it was still alive and slowly blinking but only one eye, the other is closed. It still has a small blob of the yolk sac attached and it seems as though the ants only ate at its bill. I didn’t want to leave it out to die alone or get eaten by ants so thought I would wrap it up and nurse it until it dies. That was an hour ago. It is still alive and doesn’t seem any better or worse. My question is should I be doing something to help try to save it or is there no hope.
 
I just made a video of the duckling. Excuse the bits of green duck weed that are still on it from where I dunked it in the pond to wash off the ants. I don’t have a heat lamp but do have a heat pad. At the moment it is wrapped in damp paper towel over its yolk sac bit, then wrapped in a hand towel towel and put down my shirt to keep warm.
 
Oh thank goodness that green stuff is a plant! i thaught it was some crazy bacteria!

So she definitly has a chance if you keep her warm and let her dry off

mabye put the headpad in a box so its protected, but with the top open so it doesnt over heat

ide get a thermometer on that ASAP because the last 3 heatpads i checked whent to 117 degrees which was way to high and i had to put a towell over it to get near 99
 
Ok heat pad is warming up, I will leave the duckling down my top until it is warm enough and I can confirm the temperature with a thermometer. I do have some antibiotic ointment that I will pop on the bill now. I just can’t believe this duckling is alive with all of the ants that it was covered with! Thanks for your advice. Fingers crossed this little one pulls through.
 

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