Duckling Diaries: the Life and Times of a Welshie Trio

[Scovy Momma]

That doesn't sound good. Picture? Best to keep activity curtailed to ensure it doesn't rupture, or you might well lose him to intestinal prolapse. Don't ask me how I know. Hurrah for wigglecheeps!!

Poe sounds like my Jace. She wants the hugs, wants the hugs, still wants the hugs—and then I touch her and she doesn't want the hugs. Persnickety thing.

Nothing new under the sun. I'm back up to 9 ducks after losing the last of my original Trio. They're 10 months old and just barely starting to lay. With the increasing daylight hours, the drakes have decided to try and rip each other up—why must my ducks try and make my hair grey? I have enough as it is without them causing a ruckus. I don't want to sell either of them, so hopefully they calm down.

Hailey (Silver Appleyard) had a bit of an event with bumblefoot last month but she's A-okay now and infection free.

Speaking of webblets...
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I'm so nervous now, he was the biggest egg & I was really hoping to get at least one...

Poe is a silly handful, she used to be my snuggle buddy, too.

What happened to the originals? I skimmed through trying to catch up, & saw you lost a couple but I am so sorry, Doll!

YAYness for more webblets AND webber eggs!

They're SO SQUEE!! They get the Orange Sauce Award! You may need a tanker truck load of the stuff, though!

 

[BantyChooks]

I'm so nervous now, he was the biggest egg & I was really hoping to get at least one...

Poe is a silly handful, she used to be my snuggle buddy, too.

What happened to the originals? I skimmed through trying to catch up, & saw you lost a couple but I am so sorry, Doll!

YAYness for more webblets AND webber eggs!

They're SO SQUEE!! They get the Orange Sauce Award! You may need a tanker truck load of the stuff, though!

I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news. He looks awful gooey too. How was humidity?

Mink wiped two out and some chooks. I took his head off with a shovel. The third survivor, Chrissy, lost a whole webby to frostbite, since the mink chewed up her thigh and head some and she couldn't pull the web under her to keep it warm. It was -20F that night, I think. She made it 6 months but then fractured her upper leg entirely in half, and, well, I wasn't able to pull her through that. She gave up.

Now I have my 9 darlings that were only supposed to be 5... but became nine 'cause duck math. I love them SO much.

 

[Scovy Momma]

Oh no... hate to say but I think it's a goner. The intestines are out, I think. It's rare for them to hatch like that unassisted, but high temperature can sometimes cause them to hatch early and have that.

#13 Read through this link though. I didn't have luck with it but some others have.

Dammit!
Welp, when I get home if he's still with us I will definitely try that, thanks hun. Gah, I hope he can hold on for 5 more hours in there. He doesn't have a lot of room to move around too much. I have been checking the temp regularly but maybe it was just a bit higher than he preferred. I hate that I've waited so long for this breed & the first guy is early to the party with no pants on...

 

[BantyChooks]

Dammit!
Welp, when I get home if he's still with us I will definitely try that, thanks hun. Gah, I hope he can hold on for 5 more hours in there. He doesn't have a lot of room to move around too much. I have been checking the temp regularly but maybe it was just a bit higher than he preferred. I hate that I've waited so long for this breed & the first guy is early to the party with no pants on...

I hear ya. I had the same thing happen with eggs I was really wanting. I only had a 20% hatch rate to start with, and then out of the five I had left three died! One prolapsed like that guy, one got an internal infection, and the other died in a brooder accident. They're the only chicks I have ever lost in artificial incubation after hatch, and yup, they were all breeds I wanted very much. Couldn't have happened with mutts.

 

[Scovy Momma]

I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news. He looks awful gooey too. How was humidity?

Mink wiped two out and some chooks. I took his head off with a shovel. The third survivor, Chrissy, lost a whole webby to frostbite, since the mink chewed up her thigh and head some and she couldn't pull the web under her to keep it warm. It was -20F that night, I think. She made it 6 months but then fractured her upper leg entirely in half, and, well, I wasn't able to pull her through that. She gave up.

Now I have my 9 darlings that were only supposed to be 5... but became nine 'cause duck math. I love them SO much.

It's okay, I figured something was wrong when he opened up shop so early this morning. I started to become nervous when I saw so much juice after he zipped so quickly...humidity was around 50%, I barely raised it to 65%-70% at lockdown with a bit of wet sponge tossed in there. I did that for the three I hatched before but maybe I shouldn't have with these. I really thought I had this hatching thing somewhat down...

That head should be on a pike outside their coop to warn others!!
I'm so sorry, Doll. They were so adorbs, just like this squad!
You are lucking out getting the cutest webbles!!

 

[BantyChooks]

It's okay, I figured something was wrong when he opened up shop so early this morning. I started to become nervous when I saw so much juice after he zipped so quickly...humidity was around 50%, I barely raised it to 65%-70% at lockdown with a bit of wet sponge tossed in there. I did that for the three I hatched before but maybe I shouldn't have with these. I really thought I had this hatching thing somewhat down...

50% rings some alarm bells. It's worked for you in the past? ACs were okay?

There's something nagging at the back of my brain about humidity issues being connected to hatching with prolapses... @WVduckchick help me out?

 

[Scovy Momma]

I hear ya. I had the same thing happen with eggs I was really wanting. I only had a 20% hatch rate to start with, and then out of the five I had left three died! One prolapsed like that guy, one got an internal infection, and the other died in a brooder accident. They're the only chicks I have ever lost in artificial incubation after hatch, and yup, they were all breeds I wanted very much. Couldn't have happened with mutts.

Mutts are SO strong, at least that's how it works with dogs...maybe that's how the last three I incubated survived, they were some backyard mutts for my uncle... & here I was thinking I wasn't a n00b anymore
or, at least, not as much of one...

 

[Scovy Momma]

50% rings some alarm bells. It's worked for you in the past? ACs were okay?

There's something nagging at the back of my brain about humidity issues being connected to hatching with prolapses... @WVduckchick help me out?

It wasn't ACs last time, just some mutts. I was trying to keep it drier, but the machine beeps constantly if it's dry so I kept juuust enough water in it to not beep.

I should know better than to trust the machines....

 

[BantyChooks]

Mutts are SO strong, at least that's how it works with dogs...maybe that's how the last three I incubated survived, they were some backyard mutts for my uncle... & here I was thinking I wasn't a n00b anymore

My mutts are all scrappy and manage to hang on to life with their teeth even if they're the sickliest things since pugs. Got to give credit to them for that, eh?

 

[BantyChooks]

It wasn't ACs last time, just some mutts. I was trying to keep it drier, but the machine beeps constantly if it's dry so I kept juuust enough water in it to not beep.

Oops... I meant 'air cells'. What size were they this time?

Those machines are often wired to require a much too high humidity for some nutty reason. Kind of annoying. SOME people can get away with 50% humidity, but I don't know many. It's mainly those with cabinet bators. Elevation impacts it too.