Tiny duckling

[DuckyGaze]

Hello Everyone
Hope you all are having a great summer.

I have 3 new ducklings. Bad year for ducklings, goslings and chicks in our area. Most are not hatching at all.

Other people are not getting anything out of eggs this year. Terribly hot compared to other summers so I figure this heat has something to do with it.

Anyways.. here is a pic of 2 ducklings born about 2 days apart.

The smallest one is very very small compared to the other as you can see and also its' eyes are not opening. He is 3 days old now and still his eyes are only small slits
and he is so small. Smallest I have ever seen. I took both ducklings from the mama duck because she insists on remaining on her eggs (which I will be removing later today to put under a heat lamp) but she has been on the nest for almost 2 months! Both ducks have. They are not leaving the nest even with the 2 new ducklings. One is 5 days.

Can the small duckling be a miniature? (Call duck?)

 

[Ren2014]

Is the little one eating and drinking? It would not be a call duck unless the parents are. Eyes not opening does not sound good. Do they ever open completely? Can you flush them with some saline? I had a very tiny one in a bunch that I bought. The little girl turned out to be my toughest duck ever. Just recently she recovered from a snapping turtle attack. Good luck with your little one

 

[DuckyGaze]

Is the little one eating and drinking? It would not be a call duck unless the parents are. Eyes not opening does not sound good. Do they ever open completely? Can you flush them with some saline? I had a very tiny one in a bunch that I bought. The little girl turned out to be my toughest duck ever. Just recently she recovered from a snapping turtle attack. Good luck with your little one

Snapping turtle attack?!! Oh my.. that is terrible. Those things really bite. Hope your duck is doing ok. Not fun when they suffer.
My little guy can open his eyes but does not seem to want to very much. My son accidently surprised the duckling and those little eyes popped open but went back to tiny slits afterwards. He is eating, drinking, chirping.. etc. Seems very normal except for the eyes. He is a bit clumsy though.
I do have call ducks but how a call duck egg got into the appleyard nest... I have no idea.

Won't the saline burn his tiny eyes? I have tried boiled water (cooled of course) with a Q-tip but no change at all.

I am starting to wonder if I have a blind duckling.

 

[Ren2014]

Snapping turtle attack?!! Oh my.. that is terrible. Those things really bite. Hope your duck is doing ok. Not fun when they suffer.
My little guy can open his eyes but does not seem to want to very much. My son accidently surprised the duckling and those little eyes popped open but went back to tiny slits afterwards. He is eating, drinking, chirping.. etc. Seems very normal except for the eyes. He is a bit clumsy though.
I do have call ducks but how a call duck egg got into the appleyard nest... I have no idea.

Won't the saline burn his tiny eyes? I have tried boiled water (cooled of course) with a Q-tip but no change at all.

I am starting to wonder if I have a blind duckling.

It's amazing the damage they can do.

Eye saline like you would wash your eyes out with won't hurt. I sure hope he isn't blind

 

[purslanegarden]

60 days is much too long. I think I recall ~35 days being the norm for some species of duck eggs. On the other hand, if you have some really broody ducks, you might be able to use that advantage in the future.

 

[quackers619]

I have a tiny white crested duckling 2 times smaller then her sister and she is blind in one eye and her crest covers her good eye so she has very limited sight how ever she is doing better and better every day her sister looks after her leading her to water mud and food. she lays around a lot more then the other ducks so i check her often to make sure she is not to hot and i don't let her sleep in the pin with the other ducks but you will be surprised how well the little guy will do.

 

[DuckyGaze]

60 days is much too long. I think I recall ~35 days being the norm for some species of duck eggs. On the other hand, if you have some really broody ducks, you might be able to use that advantage in the future.

I was fed up with them being on those nests so long so we removed the remaining eggs and put them in a friend's incubator.
Both hens are out and about having a good time in the new duck pond.

 

[DuckyGaze]

My Tiny Duckling wth tiny eyes is doing GREAT!

And it is a Call duck! Hubby told me he had picked up a few eggs a while back and there was a very small one but he put them in the duck nest.
Hence, my tiny duckling.

I did clean the contours of his eyes with sterile water but it did not do much but yesterday his eyes were completely open.
And now his eyes are perfect! He is eating very well, drinking alot and cuddles next to a stuffed giraffe along with a normal appleyard duckling.

All is well in my little world.
Thank you everyone for the help.