**Update** Duckling hatched with hernia

[LilyD]

Hey all been a while since I have been on but I have a question for the duck experts. I had two eggs that were under a broody until this morning. I went into the coop to three chickens trying to get into her nest while she was out eating and realized the eggs were both pipped and the chickens were trying to get to the babies inside the eggs. I brought them into the incubator and one baby hatched out fine within minutes. The second hatched out shortly after but with the yolk sack still attached and with all her kicking she ruptured it. I tied it off and removed it but it seems like she has a bit of a hernia from pulling on it. I have sprayed it with a bit of antibiotic spray and given her a bit of vitamins since she didn't get all of her egg sack but is there anything else I need to do or will the hernia go back in on it's own. Here is a few pictures so you can see what I mean. She is moving around and chirping in the incubator but seems a bit tired.

 

[Debs Flock]

Glad you found them in time! Sorry, I have no words of wisdom, but I will tag some people that I bet can help.

@caesargirl
@Lacrystol
@casportpony
@Miss Lydia
@Amiga
@jtn42248

 

[LilyD]

So far she seems to be holding her own. She is in the brooder now on a clean towel and is walking around with the other one and holding her head up. She just seems a little bit more tired than the other duckling. Hoping she makes it. I think that the chickens trying to get into the eggs must have rushed her wanting to hatch because she and the other duckling were out in minutes after I got them inside and she definitely wasn't ready.

 

[casportpony]

Best advice I can give is to keep it clean, on something soft and away from others that might want to nibble on it.

-Kathy

 

[LilyD]

So far so good. It seems smaller than it was I sprayed it with some antibacterial spray and she is on a towel with her sister or brother. I don't want to separate them because the other duckling seems to be encouraging her to move and raise her head up to talk so I am thinking being together is a good thing. Hoping maybe if it just is left alone and kept clean that it might recede back in or at least get smaller. I did give her some save a chick in her water and have been keeping an eye on her. Fingers crossed...it would be nice to have a few hatch well this year we are having a really hard time hatching due to the predators and now my own chickens and the rain that we are having making the babies too wet it would be nice to have a few make it and do well. Here are some updated pictures she's holding her head up and eyes are open right now.



She's the light colored baby on the top. Her head is still a little wobbly but her eyes are open and she's sitting with her sibling. Fingers crossed it's a good sign.

 

[Amiga]

Yes, keep it clean, and though I am not a hatcher, my gut tells me that that yolk is so important for nutrition at this point - - - so seems to me the little needs to have something to meet those needs. If he or she is drinking, then perhaps something like Poultry NutriDrench in the water? Or Gro-Gel? Sav A Chick?

 

[LilyD]

I have save a chick in the water and am giving liquid vitamins by dropper every 15 to 20 minutes although she hates those. She is still pretty wobbly but is showing a little interest in food as well as drinking

 

[JadeComputerGal]

Hey all been a while since I have been on but I have a question for the duck experts. I had two eggs that were under a broody until this morning. I went into the coop to three chickens trying to get into her nest while she was out eating and realized the eggs were both pipped and the chickens were trying to get to the babies inside the eggs. I brought them into the incubator and one baby hatched out fine within minutes. The second hatched out shortly after but with the yolk sack still attached and with all her kicking she ruptured it. I tied it off and removed it but it seems like she has a bit of a hernia from pulling on it. I have sprayed it with a bit of antibiotic spray and given her a bit of vitamins since she didn't get all of her egg sack but is there anything else I need to do or will the hernia go back in on it's own. Here is a few pictures so you can see what I mean. She is moving around and chirping in the incubator but seems a bit tired.

That's very common when the yolk is torn away prematurely, and they almost always come back from it if they're kept properly afterward. You just want to keep both the duckling and her environment clean, as @casportpony and @Amiga advised. The swelling typically goes down very quickly if they don't develop an infection from it. The fatigue can last as long as a week, especially if she doesn't start eating regularly. The babies that go through normal absorption of the yolk get most of their nutrition and energy for the first few days from that, so the effect can be pretty dramatic when that doesn't happen. It's great that you're adding the supplement to her water, and you just want to keep as close a watch on her as you can and encourage her to eat. Remember that your gauge of how she's doing isn't "is she acting like the other duckling" but "is she improving every day." You can't expect them to act in the first week like a duckling that had a normal hatch, but you should see her look and act a little better every day.

 

[JadeComputerGal]

I have save a chick in the water and am giving liquid vitamins by dropper every 15 to 20 minutes although she hates those. She is still pretty wobbly but is showing a little interest in food as well as drinking

That's probably quite a bit much. Do you mind saying what vitamins you're giving her? It's always tempting to think "more is better," but vitamins are easily toxic in high doses. Also, I remembered that I forgot to ask if you know what the temp an humidity are in the brooder.

 

[caesargirl]

Yup , just went through this again! Add some bacitracin w/o painkillers to it. I did electrolytes and vitamins in the water and still am. As for food, I made a soupy mash of the electrolyte water and starter crumbles. I made small batches fresh every time. I also keep my tube of bacitracin in my bator, makes it VERY soft and easy to apply. A nice scab should appear soon.