HELP! Hit a nest while mowing

RollinAcres

Hatching
Jun 6, 2022
3
3
8
Sadly, a nest was hidden under waist high grass on our newly acquired property. While mowing, we hit a duck nest. 3 eggs were salvaged and sustained serious cracks.

One duck has emerged and two others are hatching.

I have zero idea on hatching or incubating to the point of hatching. 1 seems to be doing ok in regards to using beak and foot to push against shell. One is moving beak but not really working on it as the other is.

I only have a heat lamp and have sprayed some warm water on the shell but not sure what else to do. The one duck shell has cracked open and the duck has peeped and is moving but I don’t think they are really ready. I don’t want to fry them out. Is a damp towel or paper towel a good choice?

The hatched duckling is fully formed but has yet to stand- it’s been approximately 3 hours since it has been out.

Is aiding in shell removal always wrong? I’ve always heard that you should not “help” them hatch but in this scenario, I was not sure if it would be differen?

Suggestions (other than I we should have done a more thorough check of the area to be mowed) are greatly appreciated. We do not want to cause further damage and would like to save them, if possible.
 

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Sadly, a nest was hidden under waist high grass on our newly acquired property. While mowing, we hit a duck nest. 3 eggs were salvaged and sustained serious cracks.

One duck has emerged and two others are hatching.

I have zero idea on hatching or incubating to the point of hatching. 1 seems to be doing ok in regards to using beak and foot to push against shell. One is moving beak but not really working on it as the other is.

I only have a heat lamp and have sprayed some warm water on the shell but not sure what else to do. The one duck shell has cracked open and the duck has peeped and is moving but I don’t think they are really ready. I don’t want to fry them out. Is a damp towel or paper towel a good choice?

The hatched duckling is fully formed but has yet to stand- it’s been approximately 3 hours since it has been out.

Is aiding in shell removal always wrong? I’ve always heard that you should not “help” them hatch but in this scenario, I was not sure if it would be differen?

Suggestions (other than I we should have done a more thorough check of the area to be mowed) are greatly appreciated. We do not want to cause further damage and would like to save them, if possible.
I have added a photo Of the hatched ducklings underside as I do not know if this is what all undersides look like
 

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So, they were not quite ready to hatch (yolk not fully absorbed) but they are tougher than you think. They all need to be kept warm (99 F). Do not help the broken ones hatch yet. If you break a blood vessel, they can bleed to death. Try to be patient and give them the night. They might be ok.
 
So, they were not quite ready to hatch (yolk not fully absorbed) but they are tougher than you think. They all need to be kept warm (99 F). Do not help the broken ones hatch yet. If you break a blood vessel, they can bleed to death. Try to be patient and give them the night. They might be ok.
Thank you. The second duckling has broken through but it’s beak/face is now sitting in yolk. Will it eat this or drown?
 

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