Mama hen with single duckling - is she showing it food/water?

[egglicious]

Hey there! Been a long time since I have been here but I am needing help. I have a little Cochin Banty that has been sitting on duck eggs for a while. One of them hatched early, about 26 days I believe. The others have not hatched yet and today today is the 28th day. I have been leaving them alone for the most part, but I am concerned that mama hen is not showing baby the food and water. Maybe it's happening while I am not around but how can I be sure? Should I just trust her instincts and let them be? I really don't want to take the baby from her especially since it is just the one and the others are coming today... Advice?

 

[Lollipop]

You may be right. The food part isn't as important yet as is the water. Put some water close by and dip the little guy's bill in it a few times to gett him started. From that point he should be fine. If ya wanna put some feed close by, he most likely will find it on his own. They tend to nibble at everything and are quite inquisitive. Good luck with her hatch. Should be cute...........Pop

 

[Missy60]

I was told when teaching the babies to drink to put a little sugar in their water for the first day. It really did help to get them to drink. They really went for the water after that.

 

[egglicious]

Thank you both. She is being a great mama. The other hatchlings did not make it. Two died trying to hatch and the rest just never hatched. I put three ameraucana bantams under her at night and she took right to them. Now I have a single duckling. Not sure what I am going to do with him/her yet. I wonder if a single duckling can be okay with chickens...

 

[Mum]

Congratulations on your hatch. I've just had a Golden Partridge bantam sitting on ducks eggs. Only one of mine survived too and even then I had to intervene on day 30 and assist hatching on day 31 (yesterday!).

As your duckling has been hatched under your bantam, it will have imprinted the bantam as her mummy. It would be far better off with the chickens than seperated and brought up on its own. The only difference will be the water requirements and you'll need to be aware that ducks/lings must not have medicated chicken feed and may need a supplement of niacin.

 

[egglicious]

Thanks for the reply. She is super attached to her mommy hen. I have them on non-medicated organic feed and I supplement them every day with egg yolk which I understand has the needed niacin. She is developing quite well. She is a call/runner cross..