Help! Duckling hatching gone wrong!

[CaliFarmsAR]

I’m pretty sure I’ve seen hundreds of ducklings swimming with only down, not feathers.

Yep! Even with their fluff they can swim!

 

[RainbowHen]

They can only swim of they've been with a mother duck and has her oils on them. I've had incubated duckings get waterlogged and about die due to cold as they are not waterproof. They get their waterproofing from mama duck.

 

[RainbowHen]

I've raised and hatched hundreds of ducklings. Anconas, Pekins, and Rouens mainly. With a broody duck and in my incubator.

 

[CaliFarmsAR]

I've raised and hatched hundreds of ducklings. Anconas, Pekins, and Rouens mainly. With a broody duck and in my incubator.

Wow! What are the symptomso of waterlogged? I’m working on breeding Indian Runners and Anconas do you have a Ancona drake??

 

[RainbowHen]

You'll notice them soaked and not fluffy anymore. They will struggle to swim and keep warm. I've had them get waterlogged in a waterer that they could get too much of their bodies into. Get wet and cold. I tried to make sure they can only get their heads in. No swimming until fully feathered. I don't keep ducks anymore as I live in town now but I would love to again someday. My favorite was my blue spotted Pekin/Ancona Drake. He was lovely. Such a polite and friendly boy. And Huge!

 

[CaliFarmsAR]

You'll notice them soaked and not fluffy anymore. They will struggle to swim and keep warm. I've had them get waterlogged in a waterer that they could get too much of their bodies into. Get wet and cold. I tried to make sure they can only get their heads in. No swimming until fully feathered. I don't keep ducks anymore as I live in town now but I would love to again someday. My favorite was my blue spotted Pekin/Ancona Drake. He was lovely. Such a polite and friendly boy. And Huge!

Wow! Thank you for sharing! I have lost 2 ducklings and don’t know to what but I don’t think it is this! I let them go swimming and a day or two later they gasp for air and die in 5-10 minutes maybe!

 

[15WildTurkey]

I let my duckies swim for a few minutes a day once they are about a week old. It’s true they can’t stay dry for long and they will get waterlogged. But they loved sink time til they grew too big in about 20 minutes. I’ve never seen a creature grow sooo fast

 

[nao57]

I used a spray bottle when incubating duck eggs and the humidity got low. Ducklings you can raise almost exactly like baby chickens. I never saw much difference. They're messier. Harder to keep dry. I used unmedicated chick feed for them. Then onto an All-Flock ration.

I agree with this comment.

Mostly anyway.

You really can give them the same stuff.

But they don't have to be messy if you look up some of the techniques people use to reduce their mess. (Like putting their feed and water over painting trays with mesh in them is one of the better tricks. Duck fencing around their water also is another trick. )

One BIG difference with ducks is that they need constant water access, where chickens don't need as much water. They need to use their bill to slosh and mash their feed into water and mush it up. That's how they are able to swallow it.

People have shown that ducklings can be raised by chickens also before. (Their moms just think they are nuts for going in the water, lol.)

 

[nao57]

Wow! Thank you for sharing! I have lost 2 ducklings and don’t know to what but I don’t think it is this! I let them go swimming and a day or two later they gasp for air and die in 5-10 minutes maybe!

They don't HAVE to go swimming technically. They need to drink water and slosh their beaks and food in it. But I wouldn't give them water access for awhile until bigger.

 

[RainbowHen]

I agree with this comment.

Mostly anyway.

You really can give them the same stuff.

But they don't have to be messy if you look up some of the techniques people use to reduce their mess. (Like putting their feed and water over painting trays with mesh in them is one of the better tricks. Duck fencing around their water also is another trick. )

One BIG difference with ducks is that they need constant water access, where chickens don't need as much water. They need to use their bill to slosh and mash their feed into water and mush it up. That's how they are able to swallow it.

People have shown that ducklings can be raised by chickens also before. (Their moms just think they are nuts for going in the water, lol.)

Yep. Did everything I needed to to keep the ducklings dry. That's very important. My chickens and ducks lived together. Babies too. Never an issue.