Is her umbillicus okay?

[lovelyducklings]

she looked like this. is it normal? and she also having a hard time breathing. when she hatched, something tried up inside her nose.

 

[Orca5094]

No, that is not normal. Her umbilicus area needs to be kept very clean while it finishes closing up. You can clean it with betadyne and maybe apply a little antibiotic gel (the one without pain reliever) a couple times a day to help. Also, make sure she's on soft, dry, very clean bedding (old towels work well for this). How long ago did she hatch?

Is she eating/drinking at all yet? She doesn't look too alert in the pic, so maybe not yet. But when she's ready for that she'll need water deep enough to clear out her nares (but not be able to get into and get her body all wet). Sometimes they'll get food stuck and then dried into their nares and then have a hard time breathing. Short warm baths can also help with that so they can blow out their nares in the water. This duckling needs to be more active and alert before doing that, though.

 

[lovelyducklings]

@Orca5094 she hatched yesterday, and yes she's drinking she's very very tired as well

 

[lovelyducklings]

she's also breathing really hard and shaking everytime I look at her nostrils, I can see them stuffed with red/black stuff

 

[Orca5094]

Ok, not sounding too good. :/ Are you giving her vitamins in her water? That might help perk her up a little. You can also try giving her a few drops of sugar water dripped onto the end of her bill. She should instinctively open her mouth and swallow it. Just make sure it doesn't get into her nares of course.

How warm is her brooder? Sounds like she might be too cold since she is shaking?

She might have an infection going on, in which case she'd need antibiotics. So hard to assess a duckling I can't see myself, though. Does the umbilicus area look swollen/infected to you? It doesn't look too good in the pic, but again it's hard to assess from just a picture. Sometimes they just don't look too pretty, but they close up on their own just fine. Has that area changed (gotten bigger or smaller, changed color) since she hatched?

 

[casportpony]

Did she hatch on her own or was she assisted?

-Kathy

 

[lovelyducklings]

@Orca5094@casportpony no vitamins In her water. and she hatched with her brother but one of the eggs were assisted a little bit, but now I'm not sure if it was her or the other. the brooder is warm and they're laying on a fuzzy and warm sweater. I think she shakes because she's weak and really small. but, her umbilicus is not as swollen as it was once she hatched (or it was her brother

) but one of them had a really swollen umbilicus. and it's gotten darker (pink/black)

 

[lovelyducklings]

 

[lovelyducklings]

 

[Miss Lydia]

@lovelyducklings How is the lil one doing? did you clean up the umbilicus sure is s cute lil one. It needs to have drinking water along with feed. and the bowl has to be deep enough it can dunk it's little head in to clean out it's nares.
Great info and also a pic of a home made water bowl if the duckling isn't able to hold it's head up you have to help it drink so it doesn't drown

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/750869/raising-and-caring-for-ducklings#post_10611711