First time hatching duck eggs

[70%cocoa]

Well done

By the way, when I said 'warm towel' I didn't mean you have to warm the towel first - just use a bath towel because it will be warm and the ducking will get good footing on it.

If you have a clean soft toy put that in with the duckling too as they will snuggle into it once they are alert enough e.g.:

In that pic the heat lamp is above the yellow duckling.

Hope that your other birds will be fine out in the yard tonight.

It can be stressful but you are doing great!! Hang in there.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Quote:
I hope it isn't bleeding. Don't worry about trying to give it water or feed, just make sure to put down the paper towels you don't want it to have leg problems on top of this. How does it look? and did mom get back on the eggs? When my mama duck tried to kill her duckling and we ended up having to take it right after it hatched, I put it in a wooden box with papaer towels and a heat lamp and a stuffed animal, it did fine.

 

[TammyC]

Oh my goodness.. I am so excited but was so worried when I saw the baby.. I have done all you said, there is no blood, thank goodness...she was going after the head... It is resting now with peeps here and there.. So it looks like I have to take them all away and raise them in here at first.. I am planning on keeping a couple. Thank you guys so much.. I would have never gotten through the first hatch without you, but I do still have 13 eggs to go..

 

[Miss Lydia]

Quote:
Maybe havng the rest of the flock outside and giving her some privacy she will calm down and be okay now. I hope so, thats alot of ducklings for you to have to take care of inside. Keep a close eye on her and don't interfer unless you see her attack again. I am glad the baby didn't suffer serious injury. Could you tell if any more were close to hatching?

 

[TammyC]

I have 6 more internally piped and 1 that is starting to externally pipe... then the rest last time I candled them looked to be about a week behind the others.. not sure though as this is my first time..lol

 

[Miss Lydia]

Quote:
the ones that are a week behind you'll probably have to hatch your self, I don't think you'll convince your hen to sit that long. Does she seem to be settled down now?

 

[70%cocoa]

Well done for being so vigilent - good thing you didn't leave them totally alone after all!!

Yes, you will have to take them away as they hatch. I hope that it not too tricky, with 13 of them and night approaching.... Is there any sign of pipping, cheeping or movement from the other eggs?

edit - just aw the other posts

Do you have an incubator? Or can you borrow one? Moving them to an incubator is a good idea, if possible. But if that's not possble just keep an eye on the situation.

 

[Miss Lydia]

70%cocoa :

Well done for being so vigilent - good thing you didn't leave them totally alone after all!!

Yes, you will have to take them away as they hatch. I hope that it not too tricky, with 13 of them and night approaching.... Is there any sign of pipping, cheeping or movement from the other eggs?

Do you really think so 70%, could she not settle down now tha she is having more privacy? maybe with all the comotion that is what upset her. Maybe Tammy can just watch closely and intervene if need be instead of taking them right off.​

 

[TammyC]

Quote:
the ones that are a week behind you'll probably have to hatch your self, I don't think you'll convince your hen to sit that long. Does she seem to be settled down now?

yes she does seem to be fine now... I went to the gate and she kinda growled and her hair went up... She never did that to me before.. By the looks of it, they will be fine tonight, I dont expect the 1 to hatch if it takes as long as this one did.. Should I expect 1 a day now? I dont have an incubator to hatch the ones a week behind..

 

[Miss Lydia]

Quote:
the ones that are a week behind you'll probably have to hatch your self, I don't think you'll convince your hen to sit that long. Does she seem to be settled down now?

yes she does seem to be fine now... I went to the gate and she kinda growled and her hair went up... She never did that to me before.. By the looks of it, they will be fine tonight, I dont expect the 1 to hatch if it takes as long as this one did.. Should I expect 1 a day now? I dont have an incubator to hatch the ones a week behind..

It's hard to say, once they start to zip it happens pretty quick, but I'm glad to hear she is doing okay now, these broodys are tempermental to say the least and if the flock was inside while this was going on she may have just gotten stressed out. Hopefully all will go well from now on. Hope the rest of your flock is going to be okay out side.