Ducklings keep dying shortly after hatch

[Salixx]

The most recent one really hurt. She was the daughter of my Welsh Harlequin girl that was killed by a dog last week and only one of two eggs I was able to salvage (the WH was broody and sitting). I was able to transfer those two eggs to a broody silkie. Found it half hatched today but partially shrink wrapped. I spent the last couple of hours gently dabbing the membrane to soften it and transferred her under a heat lamp.

I set up a box with a heat pack so I could monitor her in my house instead of the work shop where the brooder is. On the walk over, she passed. Prior to passing, she had tremors a few times, seemed really weak and stopped peeping. I thought she was just tired as she was in the final stages of hatching.

This isn’t the first duckling this has happened to. My WH took a while to learn how to brood so I had taken eggs from her and gave them to a broody hen. Four eggs in total, all hatched but only one survived and ended up being an egg from one of my KC girls as it’s pure KC. That one I had to help a bit too with the shrink wrap but it wasn’t as bad. All the others I discovered after they had already died but were completely hatched.

All ducklings except this most recent one were hatched in separate enclosures, todays babe started hatch in the coop but it was empty except for the broody hen. I don’t think they are dying due to other birds interfering.

So I have had 5 ducklings hatch to date with only one surviving post hatch. I have had both pure KC and WH x KC die. The common denominator is that they have all been hatched under chickens. The final egg I have under a chicken is due to hatch within the next couple of days. I am hoping to have it survive. The duckling that did live is four weeks old now and doing very well.

Does anyone have any thoughts? I am wondering if the chickens don’t provide enough humidity. Or are my ducks too young? They are (or would have been) almost 10 months old at this point.

 

[Salixx]

Bump

 

[telandra2]

Sorry, no answer. But I've been wondering the same thing about my Anconas. 2 years, 4 moms, 2 dozen eggs naturally hatched. Most make it to external pip and die. The ones I've assisted or opened had membrane from the top half of the shell down over them. Last year I blamed the drought but this year has been super wet. Very dedicated sitters with 5 mins max break. All first time moms.

A goose in the same exact conditions, and an even more dedicated sitter, just hatched 8 of 12 so far. Those the last 2 days she did actually get off long enough for a swim and returned drenched.

Do I need to mist the duck eggs?

 

[Quatie]

@shawluvsbirds may have an idea. I can't remember who else does a lot of hatching.

 

[Salixx]

Sorry, no answer. But I've been wondering the same thing about my Anconas. 2 years, 4 moms, 2 dozen eggs naturally hatched. Most make it to external pip and die. The ones I've assisted or opened had membrane from the top half of the shell down over them. Last year I blamed the drought but this year has been super wet. Very dedicated sitters with 5 mins max break. All first time moms.

A goose in the same exact conditions, and an even more dedicated sitter, just hatched 8 of 12 so far. Those the last 2 days she did actually get off long enough for a swim and returned drenched.

Do I need to mist the duck eggs?

I should say that I am hatching chicks just fine. Any that have made it to hatch are all still alive except those killed by a dog. Ages range 3-6 weeks old.