Help!

[tgood2]

Help!
We set some ancona duck eggs in an incubator on April 2nd, 37 days ago. This is the first time we have ever used an incubator and tried to hatch any kind of eggs. The eggs were from our own ducks.

We were told they would hatch in 28ish days. That day came and went without any activity. But we let them go a longer. If fact, we let them go until today. By now, we assumed, they weren't going to hatch, and since we are leaving for vacation tomorrow my son was cleaning up the incubator and disposing of the eggs. He cracked them open to see how far they had developed. One of them had a live duckling in it!

He rushed it back in the house and put it back in the incubator. It has been several hours and it is still alive. It's yolk sack is not absorbed all the way. It has been awake, peeped, looked around, but it has not gotten up or even attempted too.

Is there any hope for it? Is there any thing we can do for it?

 

[tgood2]

It is still living in the incubator. It is moving, and peeping, and sleeping. But it doesn't get up. Does anyone have any ideas? Should I keep the humidity high or not? Any advise would be appreciated.

 

[QuackerJackFarms]

Is it completely out of the egg?

Wrap it in a moist papertowel and leave it be. That is just crazy! Your temps must be low in your bator. Are you sure you got that date right?

Fingers crossed!

 

[QuackerJackFarms]

BTW: Welcome to BYC!

 

[Mum]

It is still living in the incubator. It is moving, and peeping, and sleeping. But it doesn't get up. Does anyone have any ideas? ..

I had to assist my duckling yesterday and it was still attached to the yolk sac. It just lay there sleeping, peeping. Little mite was exhausted I didn't have an incubator, just the brooder pen with an aquarium light over it. Long story short, it wasn't warm enough. Once that thin sliver of umbilical cord was seperate, I wrapped the duckling in some kitchen paper and tucked it in my clevage. Within 30 minutes, it had warmed up, was talking away.

Today is it fluffed up, chatting away, eyes open and strong enough to stand for a few minutes on its legs.

 

[tgood2]

Well, it survived the night. The yolk sack has been nearly absorbed and it has fluffed out some. The left side that it lays on is fluffy, but the right side isn't. It sleeps mostly, but kicks its legs around and pushes itself around the incubator. Not with any purpose, but just in it's sleep. It stays mostly curled up as if it were in it's shell still.

 

[Miss Lydia]

I had to assist my duckling yesterday and it was still attached to the yolk sac. It just lay there sleeping, peeping. Little mite was exhausted I didn't have an incubator, just the brooder pen with an aquarium light over it. Long story short, it wasn't warm enough. Once that thin sliver of umbilical cord was seperate, I wrapped the duckling in some kitchen paper and tucked it in my clevage. Within 30 minutes, it had warmed up, was talking away.

Today is it fluffed up, chatting away, eyes open and strong enough to stand for a few minutes on its legs.

So happy to hear about your duckling.

 

[tgood2]

Update: Well, we found a friends son to care for our little baby while we went on our vacation. We left not knowing if it would live or not. We were very happy to find a living, fluffy little duckling upon our return. He/she seems to be doing fine. One eye seems to be wet all the time and there may be a little discharge from the nostril on the same side as the wet eye, but even those have improved since we brought it home. Any ideas on how to help that continue to improve? He/she loves to sit on my shoulder or behind my head and snuggle up on my hair. We call it "Little Britches" as we are reading the book series on "Little Britches". Thanks everyone for your advice.