Second order of ducks in today...

[sniper338]

I got my replacement order of ducks in today around noon. Last weeks order didnt do very well, some of yall read my last thread on that. 3 dead from the get go, 1 barred rock dead, and By a miracle I saved another dead barred rock. I saw her twitch when I went to throw out dead ones and the box.. held her under the heat lamp for an hour and she somehow came back. Hit her with nutri drench and B12 right away... doing ok so far, more active than the ducklings..

Had the btooder set up, warm, ready to go... ducks were lively for about 30 minutes, then they all have crashed out under the heating plate and have slept most all day. One gets up here and there and eats and drinks, could be the same few birds I dont know... I can pick them up, roll them over onto their backs... some will flip back then go back to sleep, others would just sleep on thier back. They are very lathargic. It seems like they should be running around, playing in the chick waterer, none of that..

Different brooder than the others, I gave them nutri drench and B12 from the get go. They are all just staying asleep, it dont seem normal at all to me.

Im afriad they are just going to sleep and slip into dying in their sleep. They seem to be headed the same route the other order did last week.. same thing..

Is it normal for ducklings to sleep 6 hours straight. They could just be comfy under the heat and tired from shipping... buuutt I dont buy that... the chicks I got today are lively and doing well..

 

[johntfs]

Are these new ducklings from Ideal like the other batch? Like you said, it could be that they're just tired from the trip. Is the heating plate set up such that they can move away from the heat if they wanted to? How many of the ducklings (if any) from the previous Ideal order survived?

 

[Texag87]

I wonder if they spent the night in a cold Postal facility in Austin last night. The cold front moved through here at 5 yesterday so I am assuming about the same time in Austin

 

[Miss Lydia]

It’s not normal for them to sleep like that. Sleep eat run around then back to sleep then start all over. What temp is the brooder?

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

Last year's Spring Ducklings were similar on their first day, eating, drinking pooping and back into the heat cave. Next day was entirely different!

 

[sniper338]

Are these new ducklings from Ideal like the other batch? Like you said, it could be that they're just tired from the trip. Is the heating plate set up such that they can move away from the heat if they wanted to? How many of the ducklings (if any) from the previous Ideal order survived?

Yes, ideal, replacement order, 20 more, 3 died in shipping so 17 now.. yes they have PLENTY room to get away from the heat, but they wont, they are all staying under the heating plate. In my living room so its 75 degrees in the house, prolly 95 under the brooder plate.

5 from the previous order still alive.

 

[sniper338]

I wonder if they spent the night in a cold Postal facility in Austin last night. The cold front moved through here at 5 yesterday so I am assuming about the same time in Austin

Yes austin to el paso last night on a truck. Then to me back east 5 hours because of snow and ice delays from el paso this morning... not good shipping at all.

 

[Dougdilman]

I got my replacement order of ducks in today around noon. Last weeks order didnt do very well, some of yall read my last thread on that. 3 dead from the get go, 1 barred rock dead, and By a miracle I saved another dead barred rock. I saw her twitch when I went to throw out dead ones and the box.. held her under the heat lamp for an hour and she somehow came back. Hit her with nutri drench and B12 right away... doing ok so far, more active than the ducklings..

Had the btooder set up, warm, ready to go... ducks were lively for about 30 minutes, then they all have crashed out under the heating plate and have slept most all day. One gets up here and there and eats and drinks, could be the same few birds I dont know... I can pick them up, roll them over onto their backs... some will flip back then go back to sleep, others would just sleep on thier back. They are very lathargic. It seems like they should be running around, playing in the chick waterer, none of that..

Different brooder than the others, I gave them nutri drench and B12 from the get go. They are all just staying asleep, it dont seem normal at all to me.

Im afriad they are just going to sleep and slip into dying in their sleep. They seem to be headed the same route the other order did last week.. same thing..

Is it normal for ducklings to sleep 6 hours straight. They could just be comfy under the heat and tired from shipping... buuutt I dont buy that... the chicks I got today are lively and doing well..

When i got my ducklins mailed from estes farm missouri they showed up exhausted and dehydrated. i gave them water with sugar in it and it might have saved their life

There are great poultry electrolytes out there tho you should be giving them, are they using the heat plate?

There was a rest period though. If you hatched them at home they would start to hatch then rest several hours, then hatch and sleep another several hours. Depending how fast the hatchery packages them they might not get the rest

Were they shipping with heat and chick gel?

 

[Dougdilman]

i see now they are using the heat and have room to get away if needed

 

[sniper338]

It’s not normal for them to sleep like that. Sleep eat run around then back to sleep then start all over. What temp is the brooder?

Thats what I thought. Brooder is plenty big, its a big plastic cattle trough from TSC, like 6 ft long, plenty of room to spread around the heat. They are staying under the heat plate, i need to put a thermometer under it. They stay under it and sleep... some are getting wobbly and falling over, going downhill... the chicks are completely opposite, run, eat, drink, heat, sleep, run, jump, they are fine...