HELP Our mandarin ducklings keep dying

[upstatemandarins]

Hi guys,
We got 6 3 month old mandarin ducks last June.
They started laying eggs early in March as we had a 70 degree day and then back to frost and snow.
We incubated the eggs that were laid early to see if they could be saved as none of the mums sat on the nests.
We had a lot of bad eggs during candeling which we tossed. Out of 40 eggs, less than 10 looked viable.
We had 1 hatch healthy a month ago. He lived for 3 days then from being fine died within 30 minutes after I checked on him. Glazed over white eye and stretched out belly up. It absolutely broke my heart as he seemed healthy.
Yesterday another one hatched after 31 days in the incubator.
We disinfected everything after the last one and got a new tote as a brooder that also got disinfected.
This chick hatched yesterday and had a right eye that was swollen.
We did the terramycin as we read online. He was pooping, drinking and eating a little bit today. He was running around and when we just went up to check on him same thing. Belly up with his neck and legs stretched out.
Please help!
All eggs that didn’t hatch we checked too and you can see they develop with fur and all extremities but don’t hatch.
I’ve only had Metzer farm runner ducklings so that was my only experience with ducklings and we had no issues.
If anyone has any ideas what this is or if we can do anything to make the others survive that would be great.
Thank you!

 

[BirdsBeesTrees]

I hope you get some advice. I'm not an expert in Mandarin Ducks, I wonder if they need parents to thrive...
@MGG any suggestions?

 

[gimmie birdies]

Are they warm enough what are you using for heat? They may need other food than chick feed. I hear to start give baby ducks egg yolk water.

 

[Duck Dreamer]

Are they warm enough what are you using for heat? They may need other food than chick feed. I hear to start give baby ducks egg yolk water.

Medicated chick feed can kill ducklings. They also need a higher protein feed than chicks. 22% - 24%

Must be kept warm 99.5 for first 4 weeks with a heat lamp.

Agreed. Look up Mandarin Ducklings and see if there is anything special they need.

Hi guys,
We got 6 3 month old mandarin ducks last June.
They started laying eggs early in March as we had a 70 degree day and then back to frost and snow.
We incubated the eggs that were laid early to see if they could be saved as none of the mums sat on the nests.
We had a lot of bad eggs during candeling which we tossed. Out of 40 eggs, less than 10 looked viable.
We had 1 hatch healthy a month ago. He lived for 3 days then from being fine died within 30 minutes after I checked on him. Glazed over white eye and stretched out belly up. It absolutely broke my heart as he seemed healthy.
Yesterday another one hatched after 31 days in the incubator.
We disinfected everything after the last one and got a new tote as a brooder that also got disinfected.
This chick hatched yesterday and had a right eye that was swollen.
We did the terramycin as we read online. He was pooping, drinking and eating a little bit today. He was running around and when we just went up to check on him same thing. Belly up with his neck and legs stretched out.
Please help!
All eggs that didn’t hatch we checked too and you can see they develop with fur and all extremities but don’t hatch.
I’ve only had Metzer farm runner ducklings so that was my only experience with ducklings and we had no issues.
If anyone has any ideas what this is or if we can do anything to make the others survive that would be great.
Thank you!

Medicated chick feed can kill ducklings. They also need a higher protein feed than chicks. 22% - 24%



Must be kept warm 99.5 for first 4 weeks with a heat lamp.



Agreed. Look up Mandarin Ducklings and see if there is anything special they need.

 

[upstatemandarins]

Thank you MGG and Duck Dreamer for the info!
This year we pulled one nest due to low temperatures and out of the 22 eggs 14 hatched.
We made 7 so far jump and the rest will jump tomorrow when they are nice and dry.
They seem to be doing good in the brooder with the heat lamp a bit of water and some starter waterfowl feed.
Anything we need to look out for?
Our aviary mums haven’t had their chicks yet. They should be here next week

 

[MGG]

Sorry I missed this tag! Are they eating? Mandarins and woodies can be hard to get to start eating at first. Jumping them can help. Imprinting is also huge and very important for ease in raising them and teaching them to eat. I like to fill a shallow lid or tray with warm water, and then sprinkle feed in that. They love wet food and dabbling in it. I raise all of mine on mazuri exotic Gamebird starter and they do excellent on it. It took a while to find a good feed, but it works great and I'd very highly recommend it. Mazuri makes a waterfowl starter as well, but I like the gamebird one better.

 

[upstatemandarins]

Sorry I missed this tag! Are they eating? Mandarins and woodies can be hard to get to start eating at first. Jumping them can help. Imprinting is also huge and very important for ease in raising them and teaching them to eat. I like to fill a shallow lid or tray with warm water, and then sprinkle feed in that. They love wet food and dabbling in it. I raise all of mine on mazuri exotic Gamebird starter and they do excellent on it. It took a while to find a good feed, but it works great and I'd very highly recommend it. Mazuri makes a waterfowl starter as well, but I like the gamebird one better.

Thank you, we did that as you recommended in a previous thread. After they jumped we put them in the brooder with heat lamp and the shallow water bowl with starter feed but 5 of them just sat in it
Not sure if I need to teach them how to drink and eat? How do you imprint that?
Oh and our other mandarin mums are a week behind so no chicks yet. Would they accept these as theirs? Or should we keep them in the brooder for 3/4 weeks and separate enclosure afterwards ?
Thank you!

 

[MGG]

Thank you, we did that as you recommended in a previous thread. After they jumped we put them in the brooder with heat lamp and the shallow water bowl with starter feed but 5 of them just sat in it
Not sure if I need to teach them how to drink and eat? How do you imprint that?
Oh and our other mandarin mums are a week behind so no chicks yet. Would they accept these as theirs? Or should we keep them in the brooder for 3/4 weeks and separate enclosure afterwards ?
Thank you!

Imprinting is essentially being the first thing they see and hear when they hatch. I will talk to them and encourage them from pip to hatch, and then talk to them lots once they hatch and hold/pet them. Then I'll sit them down and call them and get them to come to me. I do that with each one or each group as they hatch, and also brood them in a clear box right in our dining room. The more human exposure and contact the calmer and easier they are to handle. I brood mine on white puppy pads. The day after they hatch, I fill a shallow dish with warm water and sprinkle the mazuri starter in it. I stick my hand in the box and call them and swirl my fingers around in the water. They almost always start picking at the floating feed. The first day or two they mostly play with it, but on the second or third day they'll start eating. I do sessions like that a few times a day. I also pour a small pile of food right on the puppy pad. It's easy for them to spot and they like the taste of it. This works perfectly for me and is pretty easy. Once one starts, they'll teach all the rest. They're pretty gentle usually and I'll combine groups that hatch within a week of each other. The older ones teach the newer ones.

The moms might accept new ones, but the babies won't. They have to imprint within a few hours of hatching, and if it's on you or the other ducklings and not the mom they won't follow her or stay with her and let her protect them. Unless your pen is 1000% baby proof I'd never let the moms raise them. They're not great at it and get very territorial and even kill each other's babies. If there's any gaps for the babies to squeeze through or get stuck in they will.

 

[MGG]

Here's my four newest babies right now playing with some wet food. Four days old

 

[upstatemandarins]

Omg so cute!
Thanks for all the detailed info, ours are in my office so I’ll definitely make sure to engage them to eat the next few days and make sure they imprint and get used to me.
We use a clear box but I’ll get some puppy pads tomorrow, that’s a great tip!
Thanks so much!