Help please!!!

[DucksnDaffodils]

I just picked up 13 ducklings this morning. (mailed from cackle hatchery) 9 Welsh Harlequins. 1 of the WH's is quite a bit smaller than the other, and at first she seemed just a littel jerky, and her head was always tipped up. Then she started have foam and bubbles coming out of her nose. Now she will lay down, only to pop up seconds later and try to run around, but she top heavy and keeps on falling on her face and doing a head stand, or flipping over. And she has jerky motions with her body.

WHAT should I do?? I don't want to lose her, she is so precious, but I don't want her to suffer, or if it is a disease, infect the other ducklings. Any suggestions or advice would be helpful. Is there anything I can do to help her, should I put her in a seperate little box where she cant hurt herself, or do I have to put her down? Please oh please help.

 

[Amiga]

Give her a chance.

Separate her, get a call in to the hatchery.

Make sure she gets some room temperature water with sav-a-chick if you have it, or at least a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar in a cup of water (electrolytes).

You may need to hold her and dip her bill in the water several times. Don't try to pour anything down her throat, she could drown.

She could have a nutrient deficiency. Let's rule that out. Or, she may have sustained a neck or head injury in transit.

See if she will settle into a little nest of towels. Keep her warm - 85 to 90F.

Once you get her settled, be sure to give a little lukewarm water to the others. I made the mistake of putting a full waterer in with my new arrivals, and risked them overdoing the drinking. So keep an eye on them. You want them to start drinking, but not gorge on water. It's tricky sometimes.

 

[DucksnDaffodils]

Thank you so much for your response! Baby seems to be doing better now. For a while my sister and I were holding her because everytime we put her down she would do the weird wobble tip over on her head thing. But now she seems to have settled down right under the heat lamp I have for her, and even has gotten some drinks on her own. We do have save-a-chick and before I put her down I made up some double strength of that and had her drink some. She drinks quite well, but doesn't eat very much if at all.

I have had ducklings before (past 3 years) but have never had them shipped (always just picked them up from TSC or hatched my own) so when I read the instruction that came on the box, it said that you should let them have so many drinks and then take their water away for 30 min. and repeat for the first couple hours. I had never done that with my other ducklings, but I did it anyway with these just in case. Everyone else seems to be doing great. They are all so sweet and new!!

Thank you again!! I am really hoping Baby makes it, I will continue to keep an eye on her and get her to drink the vitamin water. She is such a doll.

 

[Amiga]

Do you have a thermometer? Just want to be sure not to overheat.

And that's good news so far.

 

[DucksnDaffodils]

So happy! Baby is doing wonderful after the vitamin water I gave her. I have been checking back on them, and at one point everyone was sleeping but baby, and she was up scarfing down food and water as if to make up for the lost time!

She still is a tad wobbly on her feet, and kind of hold her little bitty wings out for balance, but even in that she is improving! I am so grateful, you can't imagine how scary and stressful it was, to have a sick duckling again, and not know what to do. Thank you!

 

[DucksnDaffodils]

Here is baby Eloise, after she perked up. I believe she is gold phase. You can't tell in the photo but she is super tiny, and her beak is so skinny it gives her a dolphin like appearance. SO Precious!



And here she is with my only other (at least I think) gold phase baby, Edyth.

 

[Amiga]