Please help ducklings dying.

[erob0855]

I've been raising ducks and chickens for five years now and have incubated chicks before but this is my first time hatching ducklings.
I have temp and humidity right in the incubator, after a few miscalculations, and have had two ducklings and a chick hatch. Didn't realize my kids put a chick egg until it was too late.
The chick is doing great, no issues and is a few days old. In the broader with pine shavings, starter feed, water and heat lamp. My ducklings however have both died.
They hatched in different days and had no symptoms of disease that I can tell. Both were energetic, eating and drinking fine. Went to bed and checked on them both around four am. Between four and eight am they both passed, on different days. They were never alive at the same time so it cant be a communicable disease. No signs of trauma on either. I did hold them both and they were happy. I read that chick feed is bad for them but I can't see it killing them both within 24h of hatching. Please help, what could be going on, I don't want to get attached to another and have the same thing happen.

 

[Ratchnick]

Tell me about your brooder setup.

 

[erob0855]

It's a plastic brooder. I use pine shavings for bedding and we have a regular heat lamp, not Teflon coated I heard those could be bad. They have a small chick feeder and a water dish that they can stick their whole head in if needed. The chick was in with the ducks, idk if that would affect it, I did it once before with no negative results but you never know. It's inside the house right now because I worry about them getting chill outside for the first few weeks. I thought it might be the bedding as we've had it awhile and it might have gotten moist and they we're sticking it in their mouths. I also thought maybe it was DVP? I don't know if that's right term. But we had a duckling from the same momma that survived so I wasn't sure if that could even be an option.

 

[DuckyDonna]

I don't know what DVP is so I can't help there but the bedding situation sounds like it might have something to do with their deaths. If it had gotten moldy or they ate it. idk

Also, I have never hatched chicks but I don't know that I'd personally put them in with the ducks. They need different things. Actually, you're lucky the chicks didn't drown in the waterer.

Next time you might want to try using pine shavings but put puppy pads over the top of them. It makes for a nice soft place for them and clean up is a snap. Also they won't be able to eat the shavings if the pads are over them.

 

[erob0855]

Thank you after speaking to a friend I believe that the shavings are indeed the problem. She has had the same experience in the past. I will be taking them out and replacing them with your suggestion. Have more eggs in the incubator so here's hoping it won't happen again.

 

[DuckyDonna]

Thank you after speaking to a friend I believe that the shavings are indeed the problem. She has had the same experience in the past. I will be taking them out and replacing them with your suggestion. Have more eggs in the incubator so here's hoping it won't happen again.

good luck next time and if you need help just ask. I'm incubating now too. We all can learn together.