Jemima Duck
Chirping
- Jun 10, 2019
- 91
- 186
- 91
Hello BYC, I hate to have to write this message out because I'm bordering on crying. 7/7 ducklings that made it to hatch have died shortly after hatching.
Important information:
*The eggs were from young birds, they had only been laying for a few months. They were small, to the point that about 5/7 could not turn themselves, though they were only a little bit smaller than they should have been. I assisted under sterile conditions, making a small hole for the ducks-that-could-turn's beaks, then after having no progress with any other eggs for a day, I opened the other eggs and very very gently untucked their head from under their feet (not sure if they were malpositioned due to the eggs not being big enough). After doing this, every single duckling was alive, with a few moving about a lot, and others seemingly very weak (which to me, told me they were well and truly trapped).
*When opening the eggs to assist the ducklings, they were all slightly shrink wrapped, not extremely, but all definitely to some extent.
* When I started assisting the hatch, every single duck had absorbed, or very almost absorbed the yolk sac, and their membrane didn't bleed.
*I had been using a tried and true method that a breeder I had bought from used; she dry incubated, but sprayed the eggs with water and turned them three times a day. This seemed to honestly work better than my last hatch (of which 3 survived to hatch), giving me 7/9 eggs that survived to hatch (though I feel like I should add that one wasn't fertile, and the other had a crack that got infected).
*After helping the ducklings out of their eggs, they all seemed to dry solid, so I very gently wiped some of them and sprayed water on them so that they could open and close their eyes etc.
*As mentioned above, I had had an unsuccessful hatch before, having 2/8 eggs hatch, then one dying three days later after seemingly having no vent. The remaining duckling is currently still alive and very healthy luckily..
* After waiting for the ducklings to dry off, I opened the incubator, and to my horror 6/7 were dead... The remaining one has spent the past two days with me (I put it in the brooder a few hours ago), until just now where I went to the brooder to find it on it's side, dead.
*I don't think it was an issue with temperature because my room is the warmest on the house, and also the fact that the chicks were thriving until it came time to hatch.
*Looking at the duckling that's just died after surviving two days, it has developed a pink tint to some of it's beak... Which it definitely didn't have when it was alive.
I'm honestly devastated. I feel like it was my fault, despite everyone in my life (even the people who are blunt) saying it was just nature.
It makes me concerned that the ducks I intended to breed regularly from have bad genetics? Though saying that, they are rather big runner ducks.
I have probably accidentally left some information out, so I will be eager answer any questions asked as I cannot bear to loose any more lives when I hatch next (which won't be until spring now).
Important information:
*The eggs were from young birds, they had only been laying for a few months. They were small, to the point that about 5/7 could not turn themselves, though they were only a little bit smaller than they should have been. I assisted under sterile conditions, making a small hole for the ducks-that-could-turn's beaks, then after having no progress with any other eggs for a day, I opened the other eggs and very very gently untucked their head from under their feet (not sure if they were malpositioned due to the eggs not being big enough). After doing this, every single duckling was alive, with a few moving about a lot, and others seemingly very weak (which to me, told me they were well and truly trapped).
*When opening the eggs to assist the ducklings, they were all slightly shrink wrapped, not extremely, but all definitely to some extent.
* When I started assisting the hatch, every single duck had absorbed, or very almost absorbed the yolk sac, and their membrane didn't bleed.
*I had been using a tried and true method that a breeder I had bought from used; she dry incubated, but sprayed the eggs with water and turned them three times a day. This seemed to honestly work better than my last hatch (of which 3 survived to hatch), giving me 7/9 eggs that survived to hatch (though I feel like I should add that one wasn't fertile, and the other had a crack that got infected).
*After helping the ducklings out of their eggs, they all seemed to dry solid, so I very gently wiped some of them and sprayed water on them so that they could open and close their eyes etc.
*As mentioned above, I had had an unsuccessful hatch before, having 2/8 eggs hatch, then one dying three days later after seemingly having no vent. The remaining duckling is currently still alive and very healthy luckily..
* After waiting for the ducklings to dry off, I opened the incubator, and to my horror 6/7 were dead... The remaining one has spent the past two days with me (I put it in the brooder a few hours ago), until just now where I went to the brooder to find it on it's side, dead.
*I don't think it was an issue with temperature because my room is the warmest on the house, and also the fact that the chicks were thriving until it came time to hatch.
*Looking at the duckling that's just died after surviving two days, it has developed a pink tint to some of it's beak... Which it definitely didn't have when it was alive.
I'm honestly devastated. I feel like it was my fault, despite everyone in my life (even the people who are blunt) saying it was just nature.
It makes me concerned that the ducks I intended to breed regularly from have bad genetics? Though saying that, they are rather big runner ducks.
I have probably accidentally left some information out, so I will be eager answer any questions asked as I cannot bear to loose any more lives when I hatch next (which won't be until spring now).
