FunnyBunnies12(Missy) Duckling Thread!

[FunnyBunnies12]

Sorry Katharina, I'll try to say rock or chirped instead of internal pip. I don't know why I have that so embedded into my head!

 

[katharinad]

They start to absorb the yolk when they pip internally and are not done until they jump out of the egg. Sometimes they zip half way around and then sit for hours absorbing the rest of the yolk. They may tear the umbilical cord if they get out to fast and bleed somewhat. Not dangerous, but it does happen. I even had one out with the yolk visible on its belly. Went away 24 hours later, and that was kind of freaky. I kept it in the incubator until it all absorbed.

I'm sad to see that your mother duck has a genetic defect and some the babies get it. The healthy ones may even carry this bad gene and can go through the same down the road. Perhaps you should consider not to let her breed anymore. Just let her finish the current eggs she has and then just take the eggs away from her in the future. Perhaps you get another sweet girl for the drake to have babies with. It is so heart breaking to see the loss of babies due to defects.

 

[FunnyBunnies12]

I plan on doing that with her next batch and any other eggs the offspring may produce. Does this truly mean she carrys the gene since so far 2 out of 6 have deformities?

 

[katharinad]

Only a genetic test would tell for sure, but I'm pretty confident that she does have a genetic problem. It looks like a recessive gene or you would have had more duckling with issues. It's so painful seeing them coming alive, just to pass away a few hours later. Nature can be so cruel, but I think it was for the best. There was no way of fixing them and they may have suffered and passed away later if they had hatched. So in that sense nature is just.
One piece of comfort is to know they did not suffer dying. The oxygen levels slowly drop in the air sack and they fall asleep and pass away. No pain or struggle for air. Just softly falling asleep. It is very humane and good to know. Explain that to your boys, because it will help them to understand what was going on.

 

[FunnyBunnies12]

That is what I'm trying to say to my son when I told him we aren't going to allow Oreo to bring eggs to full term, and he is all mad at me and he says he won't allow me to take the eggs, and how could I, I'm not one to kill animals. And I tried to tell him there is no heartbeat, no blood vessles, no nerves, ect before incubation, only when incubation starts and development begins is there life. And that I'd rather take the eggs before true life begins then to bring them to full term, and as you stated if they make it, having such horrible deformities that they suffer and die a slow miserable death, or I have to make that decision to end their life.

Well so far out of 6 babies, and 4 babies that I've seen, 2 hatchlings, and 2 stillborn, mine so far is the only blonde. I did notice, and I don't know if it has anything to do with it, but the 2 stillborns were the color and markings of their momma. But the one that hatched last night after mine has the colorings of it's momma, not so much the markings per say.

Since I took them out of the brooder, they were able to finish off drying nicely, and they've already pecked at their food, they are quite active and are moving around really well on their feet, no splay legs or anything. I still can't believe they were born early, day 26. But I did read that Rouen's are 26.5-27 day hatchers, and runners 27.5-28 days. As I said, we'll see what happens with the last 2 that I did hear little chirps from. I told my youngest whichever one hatches next is his.

 

[katharinad]

I hope the two come out alright. I think your children have learned something. The good and the bad things are experiences that are very valuable to the children. Never mind about the egg taking part. I bet he will get over it in no time once he is occupied taking care of ducks etc. He needs to learn that it is not fair to the ducky mom and his family to produce more defective birds. She will be a happy duck regardless. Tell him he can candle each egg you take to make sure nothing in there is alive and kicking. The visual effect may settle better in his brain, and eventually he stops candling.

 

[FunnyBunnies12]

I just vent sexed them, watched Metzer Sexing Video and the dark colored baby is a male, my blonde is a female, no mistaken! I saw it poke straight up, and mine went into a __. So, now to name her, Katharina

Or Precious that I kept calling her by last night encouraging her to come out.

 

[FunnyBunnies12]

Forgot to mentioned I bought me a crafters megna-magnfied glass to specifically do that after I watched Metzers video and he said he uses one to help better determine, especially considering your eyes and their condition. So it definitely helped.

 

[katharinad]

Man, now you take all the fun out. I never sex vent mine, and take their dignity way.

I just wait and see what they turn out to be. Well, I'm not surprised, you just don't have any patients.

 

[FunnyBunnies12]

I have patients, not complete, but since my husband has gone off to Afghanistan I've learned to have more then I did. But I also did that to keep track of my drake/hen ratio so I can protect the hens or find homes for the drakes. I hope my next post update is that the last 2 have just externally pipped. They were the mid to end of the cycle if I'm thinking/remembering correctly. But I do want to point out 1 possibility that he may not be recessive gene, because I didn't started adding vitamines and the oyster shell until after like the 10th egg she laid, and you told me to add those things, if you look back and kind of think about it so far my deformed babies have been egg 10, and 13, by time she has laid the 14th, it got into her system and probably benefitted these babies, so it could very well be the defientcy lacking in the development, because not only did I add that stuff to her water, and food, but I started giving her peas, spring mix lettuce, grass hoppers, crickets that she may not have gotten. So, she may not have the defect gene, but my lack of knowledge at that time until after the fact and she had that stuff for the rest of her laying cycle. Could that be a possibility?? But still, I think to play it safe I still won't let her breed. I think once the 8 eggs she is laying on hatch, if all hatch and everyone is normal, it very well may fit my conclusion. we shall see!

But I may post a seperate thread of pictures of the babies now that they are dried.