The Quack Shack

[Supercow]

And now of course I'm worried again because

- it's day 26, Wednesday
- let's say the others stick to the standard schedule and arrive on day 28, Friday
- a duckling can stay in the incubator for 24-48 hrs when freshly hatched (right?)
- well, if i start counting down now, this time is going to run out when Friday starts

So how do I do things right to keep this adventurous duckling healthy and not harm the others' chances?

 

[Jenbirdee]

Very sorry to hear that It's a cut to the heart when loved creatures are gone.

Just a couple of days ago I mentioned that somebody was offering 30 birds to us when slightly under the influence. And yesterday I received a text message that almost all of the ducks and chickens were taken in the night, probably by a marten. Should have insisted on taking them in

similar thing happened to me once someone had eight ducks and offered me two of them told me to just go in their yard and take two which I did, but my mom came along with me and saw their horrible circumstances and said we should take them all… of course I couldn’t do that without permission.. found out within days they were all killed by foxes

 

[Canadian Wind]

And now of course I'm worried again because

- it's day 26, Wednesday
- let's say the others stick to the standard schedule and arrive on day 28, Friday
- a duckling can stay in the incubator for 24-48 hrs when freshly hatched (right?)
- well, if i start counting down now, this time is going to run out when Friday starts

So how do I do things right to keep this adventurous duckling healthy and not harm the others' chances?

I waited as long as I could between the two eggs of the Survivor bunch, but I had to put the first one in the brooder in the end. The incubator is just too small. He was in there by himself for 24 hours.

You can put a small mirror and a small stuffed toy in there for the baby to snuggle with. And take this time to bond with the little thing.

Fingers crossed the hatch goes well!

 

[Luv Ducks]

And now of course I'm worried again because

- it's day 26, Wednesday
- let's say the others stick to the standard schedule and arrive on day 28, Friday
- a duckling can stay in the incubator for 24-48 hrs when freshly hatched (right?)
- well, if i start counting down now, this time is going to run out when Friday starts

So how do I do things right to keep this adventurous duckling healthy and not harm the others' chances?

Just reach in real quick and take him out. Those seconds it would take to remove him will not harm the other eggs. I have done it plenty of times because I don't leave mine in after they hatch out. They go straight to the brooder, under the light to dry out.

 

[Supercow]

Industrial strength brooder made out of an apple crate and OSB plates. About 3 x 4 ft. Placed in the newly upgraded part of the garage where there are no cracks for unwelcome visitors to come through. Electric convection heater when needed.

A rubber liner comes on the floor, and then puppy pads for the first few days and straw after that.

The covered part is not permanently covered (obviously, that's a camping table on top). That's the part where the duck toaster will be, and water farthest away from it.

If we ever manage to have puppies (Hovawart breed dogs) they can use this space as well I think, it's for sure large enough.

As a backup space while the main one is being cleaned we'll use a round vineyard crate (about 4 ft diameter and 1 ft high) lined with paper.

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

Very sorry to hear that It's a cut to the heart when loved creatures are gone.

Just a couple of days ago I mentioned that somebody was offering 30 birds to us when slightly under the influence. And yesterday I received a text message that almost all of the ducks and chickens were taken in the night, probably by a marten. Should have insisted on taking them in

Thank you very much! - Yes, it stings. Particularly with this duck.

A Marten? - That's the doomsday-scenario of every poultry owner!
If these critters enter a killing frenzy they will not stop until nothing moves anymore…

 

[Luv Ducks]

Thank you very much! - Yes, it stings. Particularly with this duck.

A Marten? - That's the doomsday-scenario of every poultry owner!
If these critters enter a killing frenzy they will not stop until nothing moves anymore…

I pray that the rest of your flock stays safe Frank. Do you have any Eagles there? We have been spotting more of them not far from us. They are capable of plucking a larger bird out of the water. Could she fly? I thought maybe she flew farther away to get away from a predator.

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

I missed that, what pipe?

This pipe:

As you can see, i usually have a flat stone on top of this, but someduck enjoys knocking it down every couple of days…
I need to remove this whole thing, it contains the drain valve of Mr. Limpy's old kiddie-pool:

The Mallard drake got stuck in that pipe head first and also managed to lock his feet in facing forward. All i could see from him was the gray tail. And when i pulled him out he looked very confused and wasn't able to walk for some minutes, so i assume he was stuck there for a while…

 

[Luv Ducks]

This pipe:

As you can see, i usually have a flat stone on top of this, but someduck enjoys knocking it down every couple of days…
I need to remove this whole thing, it contains the drain valve of Mr. Limpy's old kiddie-pool:

The Mallard drake got stuck in that pipe head first and also managed to lock his feet in facing forward. All i could see from him was the gray tail. And when i pulled him out he looked very confused and wasn't able to walk for some minutes, so i assume he was stuck there for a while…

So glad that you found him!!! He was a very Lucky Duck.

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

And now of course I'm worried again because

- it's day 26, Wednesday
- let's say the others stick to the standard schedule and arrive on day 28, Friday
- a duckling can stay in the incubator for 24-48 hrs when freshly hatched (right?)
- well, if i start counting down now, this time is going to run out when Friday starts

So how do I do things right to keep this adventurous duckling healthy and not harm the others' chances?

Last year i removed the little ones before they had even fluffed up! They all fluffed up under my left hand while telling me lot's of duckling stories.
While a duckling can stay for over 48 hours in the incubator - they don't need food and water - i would never let them sit in that boring environment for too long. Its very normal in Nature that the duxlings hatch over 2-3 days, but there is Momma duck listening and talking back, the ducklings start to explore Mommas back and the area around her. Young brains need stimuli!
There was never a problem with the early ducklings that were alone with me for a day or two to accept their slightly younger siblings.
I also "dumped" the early birbs back into the 'bator for a while whenever i needed both hands so they would interact with their egg-siblings…