sylvan mountain ranch
In the Brooder
- Jul 31, 2018
- 8
- 14
- 24
25 Swedish duck eggs. This morning (day 28) I put my incubator in lockdown. Lowered the temp from 99.5 to 98.5 and raised my humidity from 55% to 80%. Three hours later this little baby shows up. I don’t see any other pips or hear peeps or anything.... it’s now 10 hours after the little guy has hatched and he is still so wet and clumsy....and alone. I have my brooder prepped and warm with a medium heat lamp and a high heat lamp and some areas with minimal lighting. He is just peeping his little heart out and bumping into all the eggs. His legs and feet seem deformed, he cant get them under himself. Was he a premature baby? I want so badly to scoop him out, dry him off a bit and set him under the heat lamp. It’s 10pm. Should I wait till morning?
UPDATE:
Last night I made the decision to remove the baby "Rebel" from the incubator and once I did I realized, he wasnt wet, not even damp, he was crunchy!!....like someone covered him in glue, slicked his feathers down and dried him. (shown in the picture) I immediately cranked the heat in the bathroom, filled the sink with 98-100 degree water and soaked him. He really seemed to love this. After about 15 min, and re-warming the water temp, the goo started to soften. I used a toothbrush (which he also loved) to brush away the slimy stuff. I dried him in front of the heater and took him to the brooder. He loved the heat lamp but could not seem to walk. After 30-45 min and still no walking and laying a bit splayed I returned him to the incubator for the night. I was afraid he couldnt get away from the heat or to the water and would dehydrate. I went to bed thinking, "its just a duckling, and he wasnt meant to make it."
8am-- I call out across the house and to my surprise he calls back....My heart jumped!
He is back in the brooder and after 2 sips of water w/chick boost and a bite of food and a few first steps, I think he is gonna make it. Maybe he wasnt meant to, but Rebel wont be breeding stock, just my little survivor.
UPDATE:
Last night I made the decision to remove the baby "Rebel" from the incubator and once I did I realized, he wasnt wet, not even damp, he was crunchy!!....like someone covered him in glue, slicked his feathers down and dried him. (shown in the picture) I immediately cranked the heat in the bathroom, filled the sink with 98-100 degree water and soaked him. He really seemed to love this. After about 15 min, and re-warming the water temp, the goo started to soften. I used a toothbrush (which he also loved) to brush away the slimy stuff. I dried him in front of the heater and took him to the brooder. He loved the heat lamp but could not seem to walk. After 30-45 min and still no walking and laying a bit splayed I returned him to the incubator for the night. I was afraid he couldnt get away from the heat or to the water and would dehydrate. I went to bed thinking, "its just a duckling, and he wasnt meant to make it."
8am-- I call out across the house and to my surprise he calls back....My heart jumped!
He is back in the brooder and after 2 sips of water w/chick boost and a bite of food and a few first steps, I think he is gonna make it. Maybe he wasnt meant to, but Rebel wont be breeding stock, just my little survivor.
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Ducklings can be pretty ungainly right after hatching (I always think of "walking with flippers" - I'd be clumsy, too)...I hope his legs get stronger and that he's getting around better soon! I typically find early/first hatchers to be precocious. 
