Peking hatched some of her eggs, left me to tend to the rest

[CarterCrazy]

My Indian Runner and Peking both laid eggs around the same time. Indian Runner was a good girl and sat on her nest the whole time, resulting in 9 healthy, happy babies. Peking, of course, sat for a little bit, but was more interested in running around the yard than tending to her nest. I think after the Runner's babies made their grand appearance, my Peking got jealous, or put 2 and 2 together and realized her mistake. Or I'm reading into this far too much...

At any rate, she laid a bunch more eggs and sat on them religiously for the last several weeks. I was surprised with 4 ducklings yesterday that she managed to hatch herself. She took them out into the yard, and abandoned the rest of her eggs in the nest under my shed (she previously was laying them in her coop where they belong, but I guess she wanted to be different this time).

When I collected the eggs, I noticed one was pipped through. I watched him for several hours before intervening. Granted, I know now that I stepped in too soon. He ended up in an incubator along with the rest of the eggs. I posted yesterday for help with him, and he's doing pretty fine this morning. Yolk absorbed, he's walking around in the incubator some. While I was outside tending to the others, another duckling pipped and hatched. I was blown away! Went outside with one duckling in there, came back and there was two? LOL He's active, but has wry neck. I've got him in his own box now, and he's even more active than he was last night, but that neck is hard to look at. I'm supplementing his water with niacin. He can drink and eat on his own, but runs circles around in his box. Hoping to see improvement.

Now here's the new stuff. I noticed today that someone is pipping internally! I saw just the smallest, teeniest 'eruption' on the shell, but not a hole, just a crack that kind of pushes up the smallest bit. I put the egg to my ear and I can hear the baby in there!!! Peep peep! I don't want to screw up and intervene and have to deal with the panic of watching a relatively lifeless duckling lay on the floor of the incubator absorbing a yolk for the next day, but I also don't want the duckling that I know is alive in there to perish.

Is there a timeline of sorts that I should be aware of? I know that IF I were to intervene at all, it would just be to peel back the hard shell layer a bit, and let him do the rest. But how long does it normally take before you see external pipping after it's become apparent that they are in there breathing and peeping? This is so nerve wracking! Considering the first 4 were hatched and running around the yard at 9am yesterday, I'm shocked to see that there are still viable babies in there trying to make their way out into the world. I thought once they started hatching, they would either all be done within 12-24 hours, or I'd have a bunch of dead in shell babies, but maybe not?

I have a book about raising ducks. It doesn't cover any of this. So I appreciate your help!

 

[Miss Lydia]

My Indian Runner and Peking both laid eggs around the same time. Indian Runner was a good girl and sat on her nest the whole time, resulting in 9 healthy, happy babies. Peking, of course, sat for a little bit, but was more interested in running around the yard than tending to her nest. I think after the Runner's babies made their grand appearance, my Peking got jealous, or put 2 and 2 together and realized her mistake. Or I'm reading into this far too much...

At any rate, she laid a bunch more eggs and sat on them religiously for the last several weeks. I was surprised with 4 ducklings yesterday that she managed to hatch herself. She took them out into the yard, and abandoned the rest of her eggs in the nest under my shed (she previously was laying them in her coop where they belong, but I guess she wanted to be different this time).

When I collected the eggs, I noticed one was pipped through. I watched him for several hours before intervening. Granted, I know now that I stepped in too soon. He ended up in an incubator along with the rest of the eggs. I posted yesterday for help with him, and he's doing pretty fine this morning. Yolk absorbed, he's walking around in the incubator some. While I was outside tending to the others, another duckling pipped and hatched. I was blown away! Went outside with one duckling in there, came back and there was two? LOL He's active, but has wry neck. I've got him in his own box now, and he's even more active than he was last night, but that neck is hard to look at. I'm supplementing his water with niacin. He can drink and eat on his own, but runs circles around in his box. Hoping to see improvement.

Now here's the new stuff. I noticed today that someone is pipping internally! I saw just the smallest, teeniest 'eruption' on the shell, but not a hole, just a crack that kind of pushes up the smallest bit. I put the egg to my ear and I can hear the baby in there!!! Peep peep! I don't want to screw up and intervene and have to deal with the panic of watching a relatively lifeless duckling lay on the floor of the incubator absorbing a yolk for the next day, but I also don't want the duckling that I know is alive in there to perish.

Is there a timeline of sorts that I should be aware of? I know that IF I were to intervene at all, it would just be to peel back the hard shell layer a bit, and let him do the rest. But how long does it normally take before you see external pipping after it's become apparent that they are in there breathing and peeping? This is so nerve wracking! Considering the first 4 were hatched and running around the yard at 9am yesterday, I'm shocked to see that there are still viable babies in there trying to make their way out into the world. I thought once they started hatching, they would either all be done within 12-24 hours, or I'd have a bunch of dead in shell babies, but maybe not?

I have a book about raising ducks. It doesn't cover any of this. So I appreciate your help!

@CarterCrazy it takes a while for duckling to hatch so you don't want to intervene too soon. From internal pip to outward pip can take 24-36hrs so sit on your hands. Here is some info
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...days-ago-but-no-external-pip-yet#post_8686492

Please keep us updated!! some good experts we have on here are @WVduckchick for one.

 

[CarterCrazy]

Thank you very much! I will read up on that thread, and leave the baby alone!

 

[Miss Lydia]

Thank you very much! I will read up on that thread, and leave the baby alone!

I know it's hard to wait but knowing when to intervene is very important.

Looking forward to hearing about the rest of the hatch.

 

[CarterCrazy]

Well, someone that I had no idea was even going to make an appearance apparently tried to hatch last night and didn't make it. Woke up this morning and our bedroom was smelling a little rancid. Looked in the incubator and saw a shell half open with the little guy dead inside. Meanwhile, happy to report that the little one who started his pip hole is still in there peeping, yawning, looking oh so cute through his little portal. It's so much harder to leave him be after waking up to a failed hatch, but I will resist the urge.

Also happy to report that both the little guys I did intervene too soon with are doing great. One is in the brooder with his twisted neck brother, and the other is still in the incubator so he can continue to dry off and fluff up. He's completely detached from the bottom of his shell, tummy looks fine, and he's attempting to walk <3

Also also happy to report that twisted neck guy seems to be doing somewhat better. He's still looking up at the ceiling and walking in circles, but he's eating more easily, and I see that today, he's able to drink much more easily on his own. This thrills me, as his niacin and Nutri-Drench are in that water, so now I can stress out a little less over him getting his supplements.

Quick question- I've seen some advice where people say to supplement with molasses and vitamin e. But here, I see the running advice is niacin and Nutri-Drench. I also noticed that Nutri-Drench contains both molasses and vitamin e. I assume I'm good to continue with ND and Niacin?

Thanks for your continued support! I'll post pics a little later. They sure are a cute bunch of babies. Oh! And mama with her original 4 continue to do well outside. I'm worried she won't take her babies when they come out from being hatched inside, but I guess I can play that by ear over the next couple of days.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Well, someone that I had no idea was even going to make an appearance apparently tried to hatch last night and didn't make it. Woke up this morning and our bedroom was smelling a little rancid. Looked in the incubator and saw a shell half open with the little guy dead inside. Meanwhile, happy to report that the little one who started his pip hole is still in there peeping, yawning, looking oh so cute through his little portal. It's so much harder to leave him be after waking up to a failed hatch, but I will resist the urge.

Also happy to report that both the little guys I did intervene too soon with are doing great. One is in the brooder with his twisted neck brother, and the other is still in the incubator so he can continue to dry off and fluff up. He's completely detached from the bottom of his shell, tummy looks fine, and he's attempting to walk <3

Also also happy to report that twisted neck guy seems to be doing somewhat better. He's still looking up at the ceiling and walking in circles, but he's eating more easily, and I see that today, he's able to drink much more easily on his own. This thrills me, as his niacin and Nutri-Drench are in that water, so now I can stress out a little less over him getting his supplements.

Quick question- I've seen some advice where people say to supplement with molasses and vitamin e. But here, I see the running advice is niacin and Nutri-Drench. I also noticed that Nutri-Drench contains both molasses and vitamin e. I assume I'm good to continue with ND and Niacin?

Thanks for your continued support! I'll post pics a little later. They sure are a cute bunch of babies. Oh! And mama with her original 4 continue to do well outside. I'm worried she won't take her babies when they come out from being hatched inside, but I guess I can play that by ear over the next couple of days.

Research star gazing I think there is another supplement your to add not sure if ND has it or not . I think it's thiamine best to look that up though. I see on my bottle of ND it's not in there.

As for mama taking these ducklings I'd be real surprised, but I remember once someone on here that had to finish a hatch inside did this while mama and her ducklings were out in the yard she tossed out some snack [meal worms would work,] and while everyone was running around eating she put the inside hatched ducklings down with the rest with out mama seeing and she took them. Now whether it will work for you I have no idea. Might be something to think about though.

Be sure to post some pics when you can.

I Just found this: from dawg

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Stargazing is caused by a lack of thiamine. Provide Avian Super Pack; dosage is 1/4 teaspoon per gallon of water for 5 days. Make it fresh daily and dont add anything else to the mixture. You might have to use an eyedropperful to administer.
http://www.jefferspet.com/avian-super-pack/camid/LIV/cp/AB-P1/

 

[CarterCrazy]

This is so confusing. All the babies are from the same mama, so how can one have a lack in some vitamin (be it niacin, thiamine, whatever) and the rest be fine and dandy? She has been eating the same thing her whole life (Dumor Poultry Crumbles and a cracked corn scratch, plus whatever delicious stuff she finds in the yard). It just makes me sad. I'm particularly sad at the moment, and in my update you'll see why.

I went to a doctor appointment for my son. When I left, I had a baby I had partially helped from his shell, who had finally absorbed his yolk and freed himself from the shell as of this morning, in the incubator. He was in there was several ordinary looking eggs, as well as one egg that had an external pip. When I came home, external pip egg was fully hatched and I had a wet little baby running around inside the incubator! Reason to cheer! I noticed that the little guy who was in there with him was having a hard time getting around, so I picked him up to inspect him.

What I found horrified me. His abdomen had an opening about the size of the eraser at the end of a pencil. I could see white stuff in there. My daughter thought it was his intestines. Having JUST seen a video of a maggot infestation in the butt of a kitten, I knew exactly what I was looking at. It was like I was watching that exact same video, only instead of a kitten's rectum, it was my duckling's abdomen. I pressed gently, and sure enough,out came maggots. I did some reading and found that not only is this extremely painful, it's also very very likely to result in a slow, painful death. I had to make a decision, and as someone who is always on the life SAVING side of things, the fact that I had to do the humane thing for this little guy just ripped me to shreds. I found some posts on here about humane dispatching of sickly ducklings, and did what was needed. I don't know how people deal with that on the regular. I cried the whole time, and buried him under a dogwood tree out in my front yard.

I've since sanitized the incubator, and I've got the little guy that hatched today sitting in a bowl in there, on top of some paper towels. I'll remove him once he's dry and fluffy. I checked his tummy and there doesn't appear to be any kind of opening at all, just a dried up 'cord', so I think he'll be ok? I also went and checked the two in the brooder and they seem fine as well, other than the one with the funky neck having a funky neck.

So now, I'm left wondering- how the heck did this ONE baby get a maggot infestation in his belly? The incubator was brand new, I only bought it two days ago, it's been in my bedroom the whole time. Windows shut, no flies buzzing around in my room, so what on earth? I ask not only because I want to understand how this happened, but also to prevent it from happening again. To say I was mortified is putting it lightly, and I don't want to have a repeat of this event if I can prevent it in the future.

As always, thank you very much for all the help. Off to look into the Avian Super Pack now for Mr. Peepers.

 

[Miss Lydia]

@CarterCrazy was all the eggs you brought inside to put in the bator still intact? no cracks or pips? I just don't know I have never heard of anything like this. So very sorry you had to put the lil one out of it's misery. I know that was hard to do.

As for why some ducklings need extra supplementation I don't know the answer to that one either it's just the individual ducklings, sometimes its one out of a hatch sometimes more but all experts [not me] Say water fowl should have the Niacin from hatch to 10 weeks Now my ducklings that are raised by moms don't get it they have a mama to make sure they are getting all they need, It's mostly brooder raised ducklings that have the problems especially if fed feed formulated for chicks/chickens since it doesn't have the amt of B3 that water fowl need. This year having my Muscovy's hatched Runners and Buffs not Muscovy's I did add Brewers yeast to their feed for about 3 weeks. This is my first time with domestic ducklings that aren't scovy's.

Very relieved to hear the rest are doing great, have all hatched now?

 

[CarterCrazy]

All the eggs I brought inside for the incubator were still intact. The one little guy who pipped before I bought the incubator was the only one exposed to life outside the shell, and he was fully hatched before I put him in there to warm up/dry off.

At any rate, the last two babies hatched on July 3rd. I decided to 'cut bait' on the remaining eggs because they were starting to turn dark and get smelly, so I'm gathering that they didn't have live inhabitants in there. With the last two to hatch, I let them dry off overnight, and brought them outside to meet their mama the next morning. She took to them as if she hatched them herself! That made me so happy, especially since when I took the wry neck baby out there, she observed him for a moment and then went to go stomp on him! I of course brought him back inside. Been supplementing all week. He's been in a brooder with another little guy, and they've both imprinted on me. After I saw the success with the two babies I presented to Quackers (the mama duck), I tried to bring wry neck duck's box mate out there to introduce to her. She looked happy to have him, but he was terrified. 'YOU'RE NOT MY MOMMY!!!' LOL He ran from her and back towards me. Guess I know which two I'm keeping from this batch.

 

[CarterCrazy]