My first incubator duckling has hatched! but there's a problem

[cmbeall]

This has been our first season with ducks. Some of our eggs we left in the nest and some we put in the incubator. Today our first incubator egg hatched.

She does have a problem I haven't been able to get a good answer on yet. There is something wrong with one of her legs. One leg stretched out perfectly as she emerged from the egg. The other leg is crunched up to her body. At first I thought she was just stiff and it would eventually extend. She came out of the egg around noon today and 6 hours later she is still having issues. Has anyone ever experienced anything like this before? Any advice on what to do for her? My hubby and I are going to try massaging etc later on this evening.

Thank you,
cathy

 

[Evelle]

This has been our first season with ducks. Some of our eggs we left in the nest and some we put in the incubator. Today our first incubator egg hatched.

She does have a problem I haven't been able to get a good answer on yet. There is something wrong with one of her legs. One leg stretched out perfectly as she emerged from the egg. The other leg is crunched up to her body. At first I thought she was just stiff and it would eventually extend. She came out of the egg around noon today and 6 hours later she is still having issues. Has anyone ever experienced anything like this before? Any advice on what to do for her? My hubby and I are going to try massaging etc later on this evening.

Thank you,
cathy

okay so ducks arent like chickens they take a while to get up and going getting theire balance and their footing... 6 hours is nothing to be worried about give it about three days before you start to panic about her leg... give her some viamain water to help boost her ammune system and she will but up before you know it..
i mean look at those feet

youd have a hard time getting around getting use to those things also. and she was scrunched for a few weeks in the egg..
keep us updated on how shes doing.... Good luck

 

[cmbeall]

Thank you so much for the encouragement. I suspect this particular duckling will be spoiled. MY hubby named her Eunice after his grandmother and I carry her in my bra to keep her extra warm. She gets lonely in the brooder box all alone. We have some wiggling and you can hear a peep or two from inside the eggs so we are hoping to have more within the next day or so.

BTW what vitamin supplement do you use???

Thanks again
cathy

 

[Evelle]

Thank you so much for the encouragement. I suspect this particular duckling will be spoiled. MY hubby named her Eunice after his grandmother and I carry her in my bra to keep her extra warm. She gets lonely in the brooder box all alone. We have some wiggling and you can hear a peep or two from inside the eggs so we are hoping to have more within the next day or so.

BTW what vitamin supplement do you use???

Thanks again
cathy

awwww how cute!!! sounds like its having a great start on life..
fingers crossed with you for the others hatch just fine..

i like one called rooster booster electrolights its in a white plastic jar. they also have a no peck lotion that i used when my RIR started picking on my barred rocks..

some like nurtradrench, and save a chick, but here its a little harder to get a hold of unless its chick days at the LFS..


no problem anytime enjoy your duckling they grow SUPER fast.

 

[gryeyes]

Quote:

enjoy your duckling they grow SUPER fast.

Unlike chicks who put their growth into feathers those early weeks, ducklings put on body mass and stay fuzzy for much longer than do chicks. But in two weeks, a duckling can more than triple its size. Keep your camera handy NOW for the itty-bitty baby pix!

 

[duckyfromoz]

Ducklings can hatch with a slipped tendon or even dislocated leg. Sadly if this is the case often there is nothing that can be done since the slip or dislocation has happened when the ducklings is turning to get into position to hatch. By the time they emerge from the egg the muscles and tendons are stretched tight and the joint cannot be fixed without causing great stress and trauma for the little one. Have you tried extending the leg yourself? If it feels locked- compare how it looks to the other leg and you may be able to see if there is a difference in the tendon running down the back of the joint. Hopefully it isnt as bad as this and in time the little one will use its leg.