Please help us help this duckling !!!! 🐥 😢

[Duckhelpneeded]

Hello.
We have found an abandoned wild baby duckling and want to help it. We saw the mum duck deliberately chucking it out the nest so presume she knows it doesn’t have much hope but we couldn’t leave it to die. The other eggs on the nest weren’t hatched but this one was half open. I wonder if it was broken rather than hatched as it looks a bit premature /the yolk sack hadn’t absorbed and there is red bloody veins and jelly stuff attached . We took the other half of the egg off (not sure if we should have). The ducking was cold and hardly moving. We’ve put it on a heat mat and a damp paper towel (which has now dried , so he’s warm). The duckling has warmed up nicely and is now breathing very well and getting comfortable/opening its beak a little etc . But still acting like it’s in the egg. Eg curled up sleeping ! We’ve had it about 5 hours now and the yolk has mostly been absorbed but it’s still attached to all the veins and jelly stuff. What will happen to that?
Does this duckling have any chance at all? What can we do for it ? Thank you for any advice. I know nature intended it to die but I want to help it!

 

[My15Ducks]

If you have an incubator, put it inside a small cup lined with paper towels and put it in the incubator.

I’m assuming you don’t have an incubator. If that’s the case, try to keep it around 99 degrees while it finishes absorbing the yolk. You can also put it inside a small cup lined with paper towels.

The jelly stuff will detach on its own. Don’t try to remove anything.

Just keep it warm and let it rest. You don’t need to feed it for now, but get some poultry nutri drench, and or electrolyte and some chick starter ready to feed it when it’s ready.

Good luck! I think talking to them helps them want to live

 

[Duckhelpneeded]

Thank you for your reply ! Has given me some positivity! Do you think I should put a drop of water on its beak for it to drink or not?
No incubator so will have to make do. Thanks

 

[My15Ducks]

Thank you for your reply ! Has given me some positivity! Do you think I should put a drop of water on its beak for it to drink or not?
No incubator so will have to make do. Thanks

I would not put water on its beak yet because there’s a small chance you could accidentally drown it.

 

[My15Ducks]

You could take a picture of its belly and navel area in a few hours and post it.

Have you hatched poultry before?

 

[Duckhelpneeded]

This is what it looks like now. It’s kind of bulging around the yolk sack.

I’ve only ever hatched chicks under a broody hen so don’t have to get involved!

 

[My15Ducks]

@New duck mommy 2021 might be able to give you more advice.

To me it looks like it still needs to absorb quite a bit more

 

[My15Ducks]

If the duckling starts lifting it’s head and getting a bit more active I might try dipping its bill in sugar water or electrolyte and see if it drinks a little bit. But while it’s still absorbing the yolk it shouldn’t need nutrition

 

[Duckhelpneeded]

Right little duckie is still alive this morning! he’s more struggling around but his eyes are still closed ?! Also obviously the major issue that this goo etc is still majorly attached to him. It also smells so obviously I’m worried it will give him an infection. Can it all be tied off somehow so it drops off? Or is this really a lost cause ??

 

[Debbie292d]

I'd honestly leave it alone as it's a lifeline for it. The "umbilical cord" will shrivel up, dry, and just fall off on its own. Keep the poor thing warm though. @KathiQuacks is another one that might be able to help.