Leaving Hours-old ducklings in the brooder without food/water?

[WhiteTreeOfGondor]

Almost all my ducklings have hatched throughout today and there are only a couple left with pips, as well as couple I think have died. Because this hatch has both purebreds and mixed breeds I put a divider in there. The ducklings who hatched earlier turned into little monsters this evening: they were climbing over the dividers, smothering eggs that were trying to hatch, and making such a mess with fuzz that I couldn't see into the incubator anymore. The humidity had also reached 93%. I went ahead and took out the ones that were about dry and put them in the brooder. Will they be okay for 1 night without food and water, just the heating plate? They are still so small and wobbly I'm not sure I want to leave them unsupervised with water yet.

 

[NatJ]

Considering that they can be put in a box and spend 3 days in the mail, I think they should be fine for one night. (But I would give them food & water tomorrow, not make them wait for several days the way they would if they were shipped.)

 

[WhiteTreeOfGondor]

Considering that they can be put in a box and spend 3 days in the mail, I think they should be fine for one night. (But I would give them food & water tomorrow, not make them wait for several days the way they would if they were shipped.)

Thank you! I thought they would probably be fine since I was originally going to leave them in the incubator, but I feel much better having a second opinion. I will give them food and water in the morning.