Old fashioned Broody thread for ducks 2013 edition

[DaytonDuckMom]

Went out to check on mama and ducklings and found a 2'blk snake coiled around one of the ducklings, Thank God I was able to uncoil the snake I am pretty sure I killed it I hit it up against the feeder house. Baby is still alive but has a nasty cut on it's leg. I have it in the house right now I have sprayed out the wound with veterycin and have it under a light with a stuffed warm animal this happened about 1 hr ago and baby is still alive, it was being crushed by the snake so don't know about any internal injuries. Just hoping for the best right now. I went and caught mama and her ducklings and put them a back inside the coop locked up for now. I am so upset and shaking from this. I can hear it peeping so hopefully that's a good sign. just not sure if I should put it back with mom since I won't be able to spray it's leg if I do. Advise please

I have no experience to give you.....but I can say that it's peeping and that is such a good sign! When I read this all I could think of was how terrified you must have been to walk in on that but thank God you did!! I think, as with very newborn children, their bones are still very soft and therefore plyable and may have been able to bend with the snake tightening therefore not causing any breakage that would poke in to an internal organ. Honestly though....if the baby is peeping, you stand a super chance of that one surviving!

 

[marie000]

Hello everyone,

Mind if I join you?

We have muscovy ducks living free-range. We have two males and nine females. So far, we have had 5 broody females, two whose ducklings have hatched, and three still waiting.

The first female to have her babies was nesting in a very inaccessible (and dangerously high) location. Once the eggs had hatched, we tried moving her, but we made some mistakes, which resulted in her abandoning her nest to take care of one duckling. So we only had one survivor from her. To make things worst, the poor baby got injured one night (probably was stepped on by another duck) and we had to take it inside to allow him to recover. He got better, but by the time he was able to go back out, his mom had stopped looking for him. Most of the other adults kept biting or stepping on him when he tried to follow them. Then finally he found one of the duck who was still sitting on her eggs and she adopted him. They have been happy together ever since, but the poor baby never fully recovered from his injury and can't use one of his legs very well. He still manages to move around.

The second mom was more successful. She had originally shared her nest with another female, but ended up taking over. She had 35 eggs in total. It was taking so long that we were sure her eggs wouldn't hatch and I was really surprised on Sunday to hear little peeps coming from her nest. I was able to see one duckling under her and I heard at least one other. Well, turns out she had 21 babies, 18 of which are still alive today. There was one more I hatched inside.
So far she is a good mom. She takes her babies to water puddles so they can drink and she is very protective of them. When they are inside, some of the ducklings go lie by other nesting females but they eventually go back to their mom.

So that leaves three more nests to hatch within the next weeks. Some of the other females are also building nests.

Soon I will have an army of ducklings and I will conquer the world! (with cuteness)

I have not caught up to the rest of the thread yet. I will get reading now (maybe not all 87 pages... just the most recent)

 

[DaytonDuckMom]

Awww!

I'm so sorry! Good luck with your next hatch! Post lots of pictures, if you can! (Momma ducks make my meanest broody look like a tame little kitten!)

OH NO!! We are all feeling so heartbroken for you right now! Good luck with the rest of your hatch!

 

[Miss Lydia]

I hope so too!

It's wound is pretty raw, thinking the snake dragged the lil one through the chicken wire. so I don't think i'll be able to put it back with it's family at least not today. I made up a slushy of ff and ND and warm water and it ate a tiny tad and drank a little water, so I have high hopes that I came out at just the right time. Looks like mama put up quite a fight seeing all the feathers out there. I think they are going to have to stay in for a while, My dogs found about a 3.5 ' blk snake out our back door about an hour ago, it
got slung over the bank.

 

[EdenCamp]

Went out to check on mama and ducklings and found a 2'blk snake coiled around one of the ducklings, Thank God I was able to uncoil the snake I am pretty sure I killed it I hit it up against the feeder house. Baby is still alive but has a nasty cut on it's leg. I have it in the house right now I have sprayed out the wound with veterycin and have it under a light with a stuffed warm animal this happened about 1 hr ago and baby is still alive, it was being crushed by the snake so don't know about any internal injuries. Just hoping for the best right now. I went and caught mama and her ducklings and put them a back inside the coop locked up for now. I am so upset and shaking from this. I can hear it peeping so hopefully that's a good sign. just not sure if I should put it back with mom since I won't be able to spray it's leg if I do. Advise please

MOICEY!

You just as tuff as a mama bear aincha! If he were mine..I'd treat again, get some save-a-chick boost down him (and in thier waterer) and put him back with mama. Not being with her is going to be stressful to him - and stress can be as bad as anything.

 

[Miss Lydia]

MOICEY!

You just as tuff as a mama bear aincha! If he were mine..I'd treat again, get some save-a-chick boost down him (and in thier waterer) and put him back with mama. Not being with her is going to be stressful to him - and stress can be as bad as anything.

You know what Eden I didn't even think, I grabbed that snake and unwound it from the duckling and hit it up against the house with out even thinking. I'm pretty sure I screamed too.

So far it is doing well considering it's leg looks pretty bad, no skin on either side of it, I will decide later if I will put it back with mom, it is not acting the least bit stressful just cuddling up with it's duckling [stuffed] I even got it to eat and drink a tiny bit. So hoping it will recover. Man did that snake have a choke hold on that poor baby.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Hello everyone,

Mind if I join you?

We have muscovy ducks living free-range. We have two males and nine females. So far, we have had 5 broody females, two whose ducklings have hatched, and three still waiting.

The first female to have her babies was nesting in a very inaccessible (and dangerously high) location. Once the eggs had hatched, we tried moving her, but we made some mistakes, which resulted in her abandoning her nest to take care of one duckling. So we only had one survivor from her. To make things worst, the poor baby got injured one night (probably was stepped on by another duck) and we had to take it inside to allow him to recover. He got better, but by the time he was able to go back out, his mom had stopped looking for him. Most of the other adults kept biting or stepping on him when he tried to follow them. Then finally he found one of the duck who was still sitting on her eggs and she adopted him. They have been happy together ever since, but the poor baby never fully recovered from his injury and can't use one of his legs very well. He still manages to move around.

The second mom was more successful. She had originally shared her nest with another female, but ended up taking over. She had 35 eggs in total. It was taking so long that we were sure her eggs wouldn't hatch and I was really surprised on Sunday to hear little peeps coming from her nest. I was able to see one duckling under her and I heard at least one other. Well, turns out she had 21 babies, 18 of which are still alive today. There was one more I hatched inside.
So far she is a good mom. She takes her babies to water puddles so they can drink and she is very protective of them. When they are inside, some of the ducklings go lie by other nesting females but they eventually go back to their mom.

So that leaves three more nests to hatch within the next weeks. Some of the other females are also building nests.

Soon I will have an army of ducklings and I will conquer the world! (with cuteness)

I have not caught up to the rest of the thread yet. I will get reading now (maybe not all 87 pages... just the most recent)

Congrats on your lil army of cuteness. Scovey's really do want to take over the world.

 

[EdenCamp]

You know what Eden I didn't even think, I grabbed that snake and unwound it from the duckling and hit it up against the house with out even thinking. I'm pretty sure I screamed too.

So far it is doing well considering it's leg looks pretty bad, no skin on either side of it, I will decide later if I will put it back with mom, it is not acting the least bit stressful just cuddling up with it's duckling [stuffed] I even got it to eat and drink a tiny bit. So hoping it will recover. Man did that snake have a choke hold on that poor baby.

Oh I can just picture the bellow of rage and primal mama scream. LOL! Is he able to motorvate and get around on that leg? I had a tiny turkey polt get scalped bad, put some of that purple antiseptic spray on it (red means peck in poultry world) and tried to keep her quiet and dark in the house playing nurse trying to get special treats and S-A-C down. Was pretty shocky. By The next day couldn't keep her in the box and day after, back out she went with her bitty buddies and was fine. They heal so fast. Hate for mama to reject him being gone to long, maybe slip back in in the dark of nite. Once over the shock and active I'd get him back out to her.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Oh I can just picture the bellow of rage and primal mama scream. LOL! Is he able to motorvate and get around on that leg? I had a tiny turkey polt get scalped bad, put some of that purple antiseptic spray on it (red means peck in poultry world) and tried to keep her quiet and dark in the house playing nurse trying to get special treats and S-A-C down. Was pretty shocky. By The next day couldn't keep her in the box and day after, back out she went with her bitty buddies and was fine. They heal so fast. Hate for mama to reject him being gone to long, maybe slip back in in the dark of nite. Once over the shock and active I'd get him back out to her.

my plans exactly isn't walking at all but has eaten good and drank water with nutri drench and i'm holding it under a towel close to my heart. dh looked at it's leg when he got home and also didn't think it should go out yet.so we'll see how it is tomorrow.i like the blue kote and use it a lot but for this wee one decided to stick with veterycin.

 

[stonykill]

Gramps Congrats on your newest hatch of ducklings, how about Penelope is she sitting?

Penelope is doing great. Yes she is sitting.