HELP!! deformed ducking?

[MartinFamilyHomestead]

We had 6 ducks hatch. Thursday night one and the rest Friday morning. It is Saturday night and we have a duckling that needed assistance ( I believe). I know not to help them and they can take time but I believed this one became shrink wrapped and since it was later than the others (which I also know can be normal) I stepped in to help as I did not want it to suffocate. The ducking is now out and something is not right with it.

What do I do? I have it back in the incubator to dry off away from the others. Is there anything to do? Do not want this baby to suffer.

Please no hate. I really do not assist the ducklings ever but I thought it was right to and now I am second guessing myself. I honestly think I would have rather risk it suffocating if me helping it did this damage.

It honestly looks like just not all the yolk is absorbed but I could be wrong so any advice would help!

 

[HeatherKellyB]

Like others mentioned, small cup or tiny bowl with paper towel to keep it's legs from splaying, that the duckling fits in and fits in the incubator. You'll want to make sure it doesn't escape the cup. Leave it overnight and recheck in the morning. I can promise that you're certainly not the first this has happened to, so please try to not beat yourself up. Next time you'll know. (((hugs)))

 

[MysteryChicken]

That's the Yolk Sack. It wasn't fully absorbed.

Put the Duckling in a cup over night, & see if it get absorbed? Make sure it can't get out of the cup though.

 

[MartinFamilyHomestead]

I still used a small bowl as I put the shell in the cup with baby and used paper towel to keep the shell still
Babies can survive we just need to keep that yolk from drying so make sure it’s covered but not directly touching it
Keep us posted

I grabbed the shell and put her in that in the cup! Looks like the sack has already decreased in size. Hopeful!!

 

[New duck mommy 2021]

We had 6 ducks hatch. Thursday night one and the rest Friday morning. It is Saturday night and we have a duckling that needed assistance ( I believe). I know not to help them and they can take time but I believed this one became shrink wrapped and since it was later than the others (which I also know can be normal) I stepped in to help as I did not want it to suffocate. The ducking is now out and something is not right with it.

What do I do? I have it back in the incubator to dry off away from the others. Is there anything to do? Do not want this baby to suffer.

Please no hate. I really do not assist the ducklings ever but I thought it was right to and now I am second guessing myself. I honestly think I would have rather risk it suffocating if me helping it did this damage.

It honestly looks like just not all the yolk is absorbed but I could be wrong so any advice would help!

That’s it’s yolk sac
Baby was not ready to hatch
If that yolk dries up it can cause issues
Place baby in a small cup or bowl so it doesn’t move around. Place dry paper towel Around baby not touching the yolk but to try and keep the air from incubator getting the yolk.
Make sure it’s not wet paper towel
Don’t use any water

 

[HeatherKellyB]

Guide to Assisted Hatching for All Poultry

For future reference, I think you'll find this article helpful. I read it before every hatch, every time. I wish you and your ducklings to very best

 

[New duck mommy 2021]

Thank you!! I have it in cup now in incubator. Yes the baby has pipped probably last night and the inner lining was stuck right to it. Right on beak too. If I hadn’t helped I truly think she would have suffocated. Then I saw the sack and at first just panicked because literally an hour ago I was reading a post about a duckling have its organs form on the outside. But before anyone even replied I was looking and was for sure it was the yolk sack but I am surely glad everyone has helped with info because I would have had no clue out to handle it. She’s in cup in incubator now. Hopefully all goes well. The other six hatched out perfectly fine no problems

Sometimes we don’t have much options
Don’t beat yourself up
I lost my very first one helping to much to soon and didn’t know about the cup or keeping the yolk from drying
My baby died an hour after
I learned a lot after that and now I’m confident in helping as well as knowing how long to wait and what to look for
I don’t know if my early hatching was the full reason she went or she was weak or a combo but I haven’t lost one I have had to help since
Other then at 4 weeks and after doing everything I possibly could with vet bills at 700.00 and taking him to a back and neck specialist I had to put my little guy down on Monday. It broke my heart as he was my little sidekick. He had a v shape in his neck bone and he wasn’t able to swim , eat , stand or walk without assistance
He was full of life and energy but his mind was way ahead of his abilities.
Quality of life for him was never going to be there
Vet figured it was a birth deformity in his neck as he only had a small space to grow with 2 air cells blocking both ends
I shed a tear writing this as I miss him dearly

 

[MartinFamilyHomestead]

Like others mentioned, small cup or tiny bowl with paper towel to keep it's legs from splaying, that the duckling fits in and fits in the incubator. You'll want to make sure it doesn't escape the cup. Leave it overnight and recheck in the morning. I can promise that you're certainly not the first this has happened to, so please try to not beat yourself up. Next time you'll know. (((hugs)))

Thanks so much!! I thought it was the yolk sack but after researching more I see others have had this happen. Sometimes people on here can be very harsh so it is good to have supportive responses

Grabbing cup now.

 

[New duck mommy 2021]

Put the cup in the incubator ?

Yes baby needs to stay in the incubator
I had one a month ago that I had no choice but to hatch him knowing he had a large yolk left. Although I only got his head and neck out I kept his body in his lower shell upright and wrapped with dry paper towel to help support baby neck as well as keep the baby from pushing out. Mine took about 16 more hours to absorb
Mine had two air cells and baby couldn’t find either one had bruises going in all directions as he was hitting veins all over. He couldn’t get oxygen from the blood veins any longer and because both ends were blocked with air cells he couldn’t breath he was to squished.
If you have the lower part of the shell it works great to protect the yolk as well as keep baby in better. If not the other thing will work

 

[New duck mommy 2021]

Yes baby needs to stay in the incubator
I had one a month ago that I had no choice but to hatch him knowing he had a large yolk left. Although I only got his head and neck out I kept his body in his lower shell upright and wrapped with dry paper towel to help support baby neck as well as keep the baby from pushing out. Mine took about 16 more hours to absorb
Mine had two air cells and baby couldn’t find either one had bruises going in all directions as he was hitting veins all over. He couldn’t get oxygen from the blood veins any longer and because both ends were blocked with air cells he couldn’t breath he was to squished.
If you have the lower part of the shell it works great to protect the yolk as well as keep baby in better. If not the other thing will work

I still used a small bowl as I put the shell in the cup with baby and used paper towel to keep the shell still
Babies can survive we just need to keep that yolk from drying so make sure it’s covered but not directly touching it
Keep us posted