My 3 day old duckling keep tilting his head up until she falls over

[KailaFarmInTheCity]

Help please something went very wrong with this incubation process. I have never lost so many usually one or two this time I have lost all but 6 out of 14. The just drop dead suddenly and I am giving them proper care they are in my home under heat lamp and constantly looked after. The first batch I had hatched out didn’t have these issues. I think something went wrong with the incubator maybe? A lot of them still had huge yolk sacks unabsorbed and didn’t make it even though I places them all in a towel and sat them upright in a cup to let it absorb.
This duckling has been fine until this morning I found her on her back soaking wet and kicking her legs. I quickly grabbed her and wrapped her up and warmed her under the heat lamp since she was so wet and cold. Now she can walk and stand but keeps tilting her beak up until she falls over. Can anyone help I will attach a photo. She is eating and drinking still.

 

[Dottie the Chicken]

@Isaac 0 @Miss Lydia

 

[Isaac 0]

So sorry to hear about your duckling. Some pictures or a video would be a good place to start. I'll be busy for a while, but I'll get back to you later this evening.

 

[KailaFarmInTheCity]

This is a quick photo I took she holds her head like that constantly and will tilt it all the way back where she flips over on her back. Any help would be greatly appreciated thank you

 

[KailaFarmInTheCity]

So sorry to hear about your duckling. Some pictures or a video would be a good place to start. I'll be busy for a while, but I'll get back to you later this evening.

Yes I will attach one I originally did I think it didn’t download correctly thank you and advice you have would be wonderful I’m fairly new to hatching ducks. I have owned 8 backyard ducks for about two years now so have some experience but this is only my second time hatching out ducklings. Thank you! Also do you have any idea what breed the black one is mallard or roeun?

 

[Isaac 0]

This is a quick photo I took she holds her head like that constantly and will tilt it all the way back where she flips over on her back. Any help would be greatly appreciated thank you

Yes I will attach one I originally did I think it didn’t download correctly thank you and advice you have would be wonderful I’m fairly new to hatching ducks. I have owned 8 backyard ducks for about two years now so have some experience but this is only my second time hatching out ducklings. Thank you! Also do you have any idea what breed the black one is mallard or roeun?

I can't see the stripes on her eye, but If she has one and a dot, its a mallard, if she has two full stripes it's a Rouen.

It appears she is "stargazing" which can be caused by several things, but with ducklings, it's most likely to caused by a nutritional issue, either in thiamine, or vitamin E, it can also indicate a bacterial infection of the abdominal area, the latter condition most often occurs when the yolk sac wasn't absorbed completely and the area was exposed to bacteria in the environment.

I start would by giving her thiamine and vitamin E. For the vitamin E, you can take one human 400iu soft gel capsule, poke a hole in it, or cut the tip off and drip it along her bill, or put it over treats. For the thiamine, you can use Cattle B complex, simply drip one or two drops along her bill, or add it to her water. In addition to that, you can start offering her mashed scrambled eggs which are full of nutrients including selenium which will help her better absorb vitamin E. You'll want to make sure she is eating and drinking often, and not getting bullied by the other duckling.

Generally, with young birds, treatment can be seen within a few days, if she doesn't seem to respond to the vitamins I would consider other problems like a bacterial infection, and maybe start her on antibiotic .

 

[KailaFarmInTheCity]

I can't see the stripes on her eye, but If she has one and a dot, its a mallard, if she has two full stripes it's a Rouen.

It appears she is "stargazing" which can be caused by several things, but with ducklings, it's most likely to caused by a nutritional issue, either in thiamine, or vitamin E, it can also indicate a bacterial infection of the abdominal area, the latter condition most often occurs when the yolk sac wasn't absorbed completely and the area was exposed to bacteria in the environment.

I start would by giving her thiamine and vitamin E. For the vitamin E, you can take one human 400iu soft gel capsule, poke a hole in it, or cut the tip off and drip it along her bill, or put it over treats. For the thiamine, you can use Cattle B complex, simply drip one or two drops along her bill, or add it to her water. In addition to that, you can start offering her mashed scrambled eggs which are full of nutrients including selenium which will help her better absorb vitamin E. You'll want to make sure she is eating and drinking often, and not getting bullied by the other duckling.

Generally, with young birds, treatment can be seen within a few days, if she doesn't seem to respond to the vitamins I would consider other problems like a bacterial infection, and maybe start her on antibiotic .

Thank you so much for all the info it may be the ladder because many of them had not absorbed the yolk and I lost almost all of them I think something happened with the incubator. I didn’t have this problem the first time they all survived but one. I have lost almost all of them this time. I have some blue ointment the vet gave me from a previous bumblefoot surgery on one of my Pekins I wonder if that would help with the belly button area? It doesn’t seem to be infected but maybe bacteria got into it? I clean the brooder daily wash and lay new chips down but you know how messy ducks can be it’s hard to keep dry. I laid a plate under the water dish to help.

 

[Isaac 0]

Thank you so much for all the info it may be the ladder because many of them had not absorbed the yolk and I lost almost all of them I think something happened with the incubator. I didn’t have this problem the first time they all survived but one. I have lost almost all of them this time. I have some blue ointment the vet gave me from a previous bumblefoot surgery on one of my Pekins I wonder if that would help with the belly button area? It doesn’t seem to be infected but maybe bacteria got into it? I clean the brooder daily wash and lay new chips down but you know how messy ducks can be it’s hard to keep dry. I laid a plate under the water dish to help.

It may be bacterial related, but I would still start her on the vitamins I suggested above.

Could you post a picture of her abdominal area? What is the active ingredient in the blue ointment you have?