Ducklings started hatching :)

[TorchwoodMindfreak]

I have a pekin drake, a female cayuga, and a female buff duck. Caya has been sitting on eggs from both girls and the first hatched today! I'm so excited and glad I don't have to raise then inside myself lol. I won't be able to get any crumble food untill tomorrow evening, should I try and break up some pellets for it untill then? I'll post a picture tomorrow, and you guys can help me guess which one is the momma.

 

[Amiga]

I don't know how eager the baby will be to eat, as it may still be working on the yolk now in its belly for several hours after hatching.

But to be on the safe side, you could make a mash by adding water to pellets. Just be sure to remove the food after a few hours to avoid risk of mold.

 

[TorchwoodMindfreak]

A second one hatched today I got them some starter crumbles and put that and another water close to the house so they can get it easily. I'll try to get pics up tomorrow.

 

[TorchwoodMindfreak]

Alright pictures at last! When I checked last night there was still just the two ducklings. Caya is protecting them well. I think she is the mother of these two, what do you guys think?

This is the first one to hatch, named Hatcher.

The following day here are the two babies and Caya. The one on the eggs at the front is the newest one.

 

[TorchwoodMindfreak]

One of the babies disapeared today I couldn't see a body so I'm thinking maybe a snake, or it slipped out and a dog got it. The tiny wire mesh around the bottom of the duck pen seems to have come up some so I'll try and fix that tomorrow. The other two ducks are being kind of mean to the baby and Caya is having to protect it from them, is that normal? This evening I watched a duckling hatch and another one made a hole in the egg before I had to leave. These two eggs were ones I thought she kicked out of her nest funny enough. She was out walking around and didn't know they were hatching untill I shooed her back into the duck house. She went and sat on the other eggs, not the ones hatching.

 

[TorchwoodMindfreak]

Today there was only one baby again! Gah! I blocked the edges and while I was there The other ducks were being horrible to the baby. I had to snatch it up. Caya didn't like that but the baby just relaxed in my hand and almost fell asleep with it's head limp against me. I felt so bad for it. I showed it the water with the save a chick electrolytes added to it and it drank. I showed it the food but it wasn't interested. I put it back in the duck house and shooed Caya in there. Then I went on a quest to find something to block off Caya and the babies from the others. Another duckling was starting to hatch at this point. I found a long piece of ply-board and cut off part of the pen for them. Hopefully tomorrow there will be two babies and everyone will be happy.

Here is last night with the duckling halfway out and another starting to hatch on the left.


Out and headed for momma.


One with a dark bill starting to hatch today.


The duckling when I grabbed it up. I think it's bill looks bruised or something, but it could just be the color. FYI that is not the final ply-wood divider.


The baby sleeping with Caya watching me closely.

 

[TorchwoodMindfreak]

It appears that Caya rearranged her nest last night and the one that was hatching when I left was squished in it's egg

This is killing me! So many aren't making it. The other duckling is good now that they're separated from the other big ducks. I really hope some more hatch successfully...

Here's Caya and the baby this afternoon.

 

[LaynaDon95]

How did they do? How many babies did you get?

 

[QuackedUp]

Man, one second you are having good luck, and the next, you are having bad luck. What was the final outcome?

 

[TorchwoodMindfreak]

Yeah it sucked! I still have that one duckling. No more hatched that I know of. At least this way I don't have to look for homes for any... The duckling is doing good, getting big already. I'll try and get a pic later today.