Need Help — duck abandoning eggs after 28 days. The ducklings are about to hatch!

[Miss Lydia]

Sounds like your doing all you can for them. Looks like she started sitting and others were adding to her nest that's how you get a staggered hatch, she would have most likely given up after some hatched and left the ones that hadn't usually after 3 days they are ready to leave the nest with their duckling so you taking them was the best idea.. What was the reason for slipping nonfertile under her if you took all the eggs? Just curious.

That gook can take a while to come off but sounds like it's working with bathing and using the spray on the eye.
Sure hope #4-5 keeps on making progress. Just keep on with what you're doing. I agree not to stress the little one out by opening the bill usually they get enough just by dripping along the bill. If they are eating and drinking that is a good sign.

I will never order again. this year the PO has really been bad about deliveries and It's not worth it. I wanted Fawn and White Runners to add to mine and to have some new blood lines since all of mine are related. Just isn't worth the heartache of losing them.

 

[Galaxyfalcon]

We slipped non-fertile eggs under her after day 28 when she seemed to abandon the nest...we were hoping she would get back on and wanted to keep her broody but didn't want the ducklings to perish. She did keep sitting but only for about 2-4 hours a day, and when we brought the first couple of ducklings and placed them in the nest she seemed totally disinterested, even a little afraid (bad maternal instinct it seems). We have another little duck who is sitting on her own little clutch of 6 eggs and she peeped up and responded to the little one's cries. We debated letting her take them but we didn't want to ruin her own hatch since she's been a really good momma so far and probably still has another week to go.

#4 got up and I watched him get some water and food! He definitely goes for the food-mash (food mushed up in water) so we make sure there's a lot of that around. We gave him a little bit more nutri-drench on his bill and he took a tiny bit. That's encouraging to see but he's still not eating a lot...I hope he keeps going!

#5 I think we'll keep to the plan!

There's a few ducks I'd love to add to the flock eventually but I'm just afraid of ordering any in the mail...

I'll see if I can get some cute photos for an update later today. Thanks for the help so far everyone, I appreciate it!

 

[Galaxyfalcon]

Here's a little group photo from last night right before bed!

Bad news about #4. It seems he's not taking food or water today. We keep getting him to try and at least drink some, but he will just fall asleep and his head/bill dip into the water. He's so weak, his little legs are floppy and his neck is droopy. He chirps happily occasionally, and sometimes he peeps like he's distressed but we're not sure what's wrong. I'm hoping he's not in pain. Whatever is wrong, at this point I think there's a real risk that he might just starve to death. It's really hard to watch, is there anything we can do or should we just try to make him comfortable?

 

[Galaxyfalcon]

How are they doing?

They're doing good! We were pretty worried with the heat wave that came through, it got up to about 117 here and was over 110 for 5 days, so we were freezing ice in old juice jugs and putting it in their drinking water, and we set up a mister and put it in the duck run for everyone during the day to help drop temperatures.

The batch are turning 4 weeks old! They're entering the gangly duckling teen phase and their little voices are all starting to turn. We're hoping 5 & 6 are both girls; we'd like to keep 1 or 2 girls and the rest are going down to my in-laws pond once they're old enough (which is actually where our original 2 girls came from).

Only thing I'm concerned about right now is that I've seen them with shaky or wobbly legs a few times. I've had a duck with niacin deficiency before and this doesn't quite look like that, this looks like they're just wobbling. They've been getting brewer's yeast since they were babies and we had been putting some nutri-drench and vitamin b complex in the drinking water for the first couple of weeks, but once they were older and the heat wave hit it was a bit harder to control which water supply they were drinking from—so I'm not sure they've been getting all their vitamins. I have a multi-vitamin (poultry booster) I'm starting to add to their dry food just to make sure it's not a vitamin issue. Not sure what else it could be or if I'm overreacting but if it's an issue I'd prefer to nip it early.

#5 is doing good, the eye is still squinty but he seems to see just fine. We were worried he would be blind but it seems okay so far.

#6 is a sweetheart and will come and cuddle even in the heat.

Everyone else is very friendly, although our Rouen (their dad) has been bullying them a bit if he gets too close. He doesn't know they're his babies!

Here's the gang getting water. They kid the kiddie pool dirty so quick.



#6 in front! #8 in back has figured out how to jump and grab willow tree leaves.


#3 front and center with #5 off to the right here.


Here's #2!



and the babies 10 & 11:

 

[Newfowler1]

Incubate them, more will survive if they pip and make it to hatch w/o question.

 

[KaleIAm]

Can you put all the eggs in the incubator and put some dummy eggs in the nest to hopefully keep your ducks broody? They might be more likely accept the babies that way. I've never done this before, but I have heard of duck hens accepting ducklings that are slipped under them when they are broody. Does anyone have experience with this?

You can get dummy eggs at a feed store.

 

[Galaxyfalcon]

Update!

We tried to reintroduce the babies to the nest when #2 hatched but she seemed completely disinterested/scared of the ducklings. We left her with them for about 30 minutes this morning and watched carefully but she didn't take to them, even though we staged getting them back in the nest. It feels like she's just completely done being broody.

We have another hen who is sitting on her nest, and she immediately pipped up and started calling to them when she heard their little cries, but we don't want her to adopt them and then get off her own nest (she's being a good mom and sitting on about 6 of her own eggs).

Looks like we'll be taking care of them! I really wanted to have the satisfaction of seeing my girls out in the yard with their own ducklings waddling around, but maybe some other year.

I'm attaching a photo update! Number one is on the left. There's a number 4 who just hatched and is still in the incubator and 5 and 6 have pipped. I'm a little surprised they're spread out so far apart, about 2 every 8-12 hours or so which would have probably been hard for a mom duck to hatch on her own anyways, so maybe it's good we stepped in.

 

[KaleIAm]

When caring for the eye, should I try to avoid getting anything directly in the eye? I'm also worried about all the gunk the little guy has stuck to him. #6 and #7 both came afterwards and they're looking much healthier. Any advice on how/when to try cleaning up the goop and shell bits? How long should I leave him in the incubator for?

edit: also thank you so much for your help!

If you have an opthalmic ointment like terramycin you can, and sometimes should, put that on the eye. If you have an ointment not specific for eyes you should probably avoid getting it into the eye.

https://www.aao.org/eye-health/ask-ophthalmologist-q/can-you-use-antibiotic-ointment-cornea-scratch

 

[Miss Lydia]

Once they dry and are fluffed and nothing sticks out of belly. Like let over yolk sac? you can put them into some warm water nice and warm in a warm room, and work on getting the goo and egg shell off. You might have to do this in stages depending on how much, But they might just clean their eyes out for you too they love to dunk their little heads. Once finished pat dry and place right back under heat. How are they today?

 

[Miss Lydia]

I have seen many say they have used the neo around eyes before but I wouldn't now that I have seen this.