HELP! First time with baby hatchlings.. why are they all dying?? :(

[Homestead Juneau]

I need HELP please! My husband and I acquired 3 ducks (2 females and one male). They both started incubating on the same nest about 14 eggs. They have pretty much all hatched except for a few that were not fertilized. Most of them hatched fine and were drinking and eating the special mash we bought them and we kept them in a seperate barn from the other animals we own. The two females and the drake along with the ducklings. We have now been finding at least one duck in the corner of the barn dead. So strange because they were vibrant and thriving this morning when we checked on them. They have plenty of water and food. We just went back to check and heard the ducks panicking and discovered another duckling in the corner dying. I did see the duckling seemed to have a bite mark on its head. Is it the drake killing the ducklings?? We cannot seem to separate them!The drake is constantly around. We only have 2 baby ducks left and I cannot bare to lose another. What do we do? They are all currently in the fenced in area roaming around foreging as we are now unable to get them back in the barn. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!! Thank you!

 

[EverythingDucks]

Welcome to BYC!
I'm so sorry for your losses

I would separate the drake and keep watch on the ducklings. Look for any health issues. It could also be from some rodent getting in. Be sure they are safe and secured.

 

[Miss Lydia]

You need to get the drake separated from the mom and ducklings drakes can be unpredictable.

 

[Homestead Juneau]

Thank you so much for your quick response. Any suggestions on how we can separate the drake? They are so close together all the time.

 

[Miss Lydia]

I’d close mom and ducklings up for at least a week for their protection

 

[Homestead Juneau]

You need to get the drake separated from the mom and ducklings drakes can be unpredictable.

Thank you! We are so saddened that we are doing something wrong and we could have prevented them from dying. Is there any suggestion on where is a good place to put him in the meantime? We have a large enclosure with 2 alpacas, 2 dwarf goats and 13 laying hens.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Herding him away from them and one catch him while the other keeps the female and ducklings away.

 

[Homestead Juneau]

Herding him away from them and one catch him while the other keeps the female and ducklings away.

Thank you very much! I appreciate this alot.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Let us know how it goes

 

[Homestead Juneau]

Bad news, we lost another one. This time he went much harder of the poor baby. It didn’t stand a chance. We finally were able to separate the drake after this situation. We are down to one baby duck now our of 14 eggs. Is this typical of a drake? Are we to expect this every time? I feel awful we didn’t separate the drake sooner. We weren’t sure what was causing it until now.