Please take a look at this picture and tell me what I need to do---Duckling

[Kwyjibo]

So, is the umbilical cord where the vent is on ducks? What dos it mean "girls got carried"? I have one clutch of 9 and another of 18 and Lawd he'p me, more on the way. My husband was supposed to take the eggs from the broodies that are currently sitting but I checked this morning and he hasn't. That's how this duckling came about---lots of craziness and the egg getting damaged.

Can I ask what you would do in my situation? I know, I probably should never have let them sit but at the time I thought I would have no problem selling them. The first clutch went quickly and he 2nd is mostly sold. But now, I'm not getting any responses. This is all pretty new for me--been at it a year and this is the first time any of my hens have sat. Any wisdom to share?

 

[Miss Lydia]

So, is the umbilical cord where the vent is on ducks? What dos it mean "girls got carried"? I have one clutch of 9 and another of 18 and Lawd he'p me, more on the way. My husband was supposed to take the eggs from the broodies that are currently sitting but I checked this morning and he hasn't. That's how this duckling came about---lots of craziness and the egg getting damaged.

Can I ask what you would do in my situation? I know, I probably should never have let them sit but at the time I thought I would have no problem selling them. The first clutch went quickly and he 2nd is mostly sold. But now, I'm not getting any responses. This is all pretty new for me--been at it a year and this is the first time any of my hens have sat. Any wisdom to share?

No the cord would be up on the belly of the duckling, not down around the vent area. when i said carried away I meant ducks love to lay alot of eggs before going broody, When we let our girls sit, which was this spring we had 4 sit the others have to wait till next year, No I'm not being mean but we have limited space and the duck market is not that good here [well if i wanted to sell them to the asian market it would probably be good, ] We went 4 yrs before letting our girls sit this last time. it's a constant going in and removing their eggs for sure. so you take the eggs away, even up to day 4-5 you can still take them, your not going to see any sign of life till around day 5-7. But what to do with all the ducklings? It's a decision we all have to make if we let our ducks sit and hatch. I would rather have a few ducklings and not be able to find homes for them. our 4 girls hatched a total of 8 ducklings. I just limit the amount of eggs they are sitting on. If you have the space and housing then it's not too bad, but thats not the case here. Some folks can sell ducklings knowing their going to be eaten I have a hard time with it. I'm not a vegetarian either.

 

[Kwyjibo]

 

[Wynette]

Oh my...that does not look good in my humble opinion, but I am NOT an expert. Do you have this one separated from the others? I fear the others may pick at whatever the issue is that's going on. By two days, the umbilical cord should all be dried - what is that yellowish portion at the base? It almost looks like some type of hernia. Is it moist or dry? Gosh, I dunno. I think if this little one was mine, I'd separate it (making sure it had a heat lamp for warmth) and continue dipping its bill in water - do you have vitamins/electrolytes that you can add to the water? Is he nibbling at feed yet?

 

[Kwyjibo]

No, he has'nt been anywhere near the others and he went immediately into the incubator. If this was just a weird yolk sac thing that would dry up and fall off, I'd put him on duramycin water. But if it's intestined I figured it would be more humane to cull. Since my incubator still smells of disinfectant and I'm letting it air out completely, I have him wrapped in a towel and stuffed in my cleavage---what little there is off it--to keep him warm. It hasn't been 48 hours yet--more like 36. The hernia-looking spot is dry. I have swabbed him twice w/ iodine solution but he is still stinky. He wasn't interested in mash earlier or water really. I figured it might be too early.

I don't know what the yellowish area is about. Is what I've shown in the picture is supposed to be where he poops?

 

[PetesMom]

That does look like the vent area and if he smells then it is infected, I'm not sure what exactly it is, possibly intestines, but if he were mine I would probably cull. Just my opinion

 

[Miss Lydia]

Getting a better look now and it really doesn't look good. it looks more like closer to the vent. Lets remember it hatched early so could this just be the skin needs to close up, your the one that can see it clearly and see how the duckling is acting. is it perky? is this draining?

 

[Amiga]

I would give it just a bit more time, myself, knowing it may end up that he cannot live long. One option might be to put antibiotic cream on the belly and see if that improves things. When I see the yellow, I want to think it is still just a tad of yolk that is taking a long time to finish up and fall off.

I would also try this: Have a very damp clean rag ready in a dish, and a q-tip dipped in hydrogen peroxide.

If you dab a tiny bit of H2O2 (hydrogen peroxide) on the spot, does it foam? I would immediately wipe the area in any case, as the H2O2 can sting on sensitive skin.

If it does foam, that indicates infection.

 

[Kwyjibo]

No, it doesn't foam at all. Not sure what to do. While he is stinky, he doesn't smell as bad I don't think. Or maybe I'm just getting used to it

 

[Miss Lydia]

No, it doesn't foam at all. Not sure what to do. While he is stinky, he doesn't smell as bad I don't think. Or maybe I'm just getting used to it

That lil bit of yellow does make me think of yolk and maybe you should give him a few more days. you can set him up in a brood box with some water with vitamins or save a chick with heat and stuffed animal for comfort. and keep cleaning that area off with the iodine /water solution. if the lil one doesn't appear to be in pain or acting sickly then maybe just wait and see how it looks even tomorrow.