We had ducklings hatch today! One very exhausted - advice appreciated! :)

[Jen1979]

Oh good I'm glad I'm doing the right thing, by the babies, even if their mum is not impressed

Haha that is an excellent idea about taking eggs to the neighbors to keep them on side! At least the mumma I had to take out when her eggs went bad has calmed down now. She free ranges with the rest all day and only comes and sits next to the duckling enclosure for half an hour or so. Our drake, Norris, is fascinated by the babies. He goes and sits next to the enclosure often and just looks at them. He is a very calm and sweet boy.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Oh good I'm glad I'm doing the right thing, by the babies, even if their mum is not impressed

Haha that is an excellent idea about taking eggs to the neighbors to keep them on side! At least the mumma I had to take out when her eggs went bad has calmed down now. She free ranges with the rest all day and only comes and sits next to the duckling enclosure for half an hour or so. Our drake, Norris, is fascinated by the babies. He goes and sits next to the enclosure often and just looks at them. He is a very calm and sweet boy.

Once you let them all be together in a couple weeks he'll probably be fine with them, it's just during their getting their feet under them so to speak when they are so vulnerable. I bet you can just about sit and watch those lil ones grow. don't forget pics.

 

[Jen1979]

I have just found our youngest baby drowned. Inconsolable doesn't even begin to describe it.

I had lots of shallow water bowls for the ducklings in the enclosure and one talk one for mumma because I wanted her to be able to wash her nostrils out properly. I've kept such a close eye on them to make sure they couldn't get into it and there was no way they could even reach. I was wrong. I have no idea how he got in there but he did. Now it's my fault that another beautiful baby is dead and we've once again got a baby growing up without their sibling.

I am just devastated. I can't even bring myself to bury him yet, I just want him to wake up. I should have left bringing babies into the world to someone who knew what they were doing. RIP my gorgeous little one

 

[Miss Lydia]

I have just found our youngest baby drowned. Inconsolable doesn't even begin to describe it.

I had lots of shallow water bowls for the ducklings in the enclosure and one talk one for mumma because I wanted her to be able to wash her nostrils out properly. I've kept such a close eye on them to make sure they couldn't get into it and there was no way they could even reach. I was wrong. I have no idea how he got in there but he did. Now it's my fault that another beautiful baby is dead and we've once again got a baby growing up without their sibling.

I am just devastated. I can't even bring myself to bury him yet, I just want him to wake up. I should have left bringing babies into the world to someone who knew what they were doing. RIP my gorgeous little one

Oh Jen 1979 I am so sorry. And believe me I know exactly how you are feeling. Almost 2 yrs ago this May My duck hatched 4 ducklings and when they were almost 1 week old one drowned in the small container I had set up for them to play in. I was devastated and still am that I could have let something like that happen. I tried so hard to revive it rubbing it and blow drying it but it was gone. So I know exactly how you are feeling. Things happen even when we do everything to keep them safe. It doesn't make it any better but please know I care and share in your sorrow.

 

[Jen1979]

Oh Jen 1979 I am so sorry. And believe me I know exactly how you are feeling. Almost 2 yrs ago this May My duck hatched 4 ducklings and when they were almost 1 week old one drowned in the small container I had set up for them to play in. I was devastated and still am that I could have let something like that happen. I tried so hard to revive it rubbing it and blow drying it but it was gone. So I know exactly how you are feeling. Things happen even when we do everything to keep them safe.  It doesn't make it any better but please know I care and share in your sorrow.

Thank you so much @Miss Lydia I'm so sorry you had to feel this pain too. Thank you for telling me your story, it makes it slightly easier to share my pain. He'd only been in my life 4 days and I was besotted with him.

 

[Amiga]

 

[Miss Lydia]

Thank you so much @Miss Lydia I'm so sorry you had to feel this pain too. Thank you for telling me your story, it makes it slightly easier to share my pain. He'd only been in my life 4 days and I was besotted with him.

I know I was the same way and have not let any of my girls hatch since. It's so heart breaking to loose even one. Now you have to go out and enjoy the ones you have and let them help you heal. See that's why I harp about things on here, I lost 2 ducklings when I let everyone run together that's why I always encourage members to keep mom and babies separate for a while till ducklings can get away from trouble I don't want anyone to have to have the heart ache I had and learn from my mistakes. It's not easy losing them when we say why didn't I do this or that. Next time you have ducklings you'll do things differently just like I have. Tuff lesson we have to go through in the process though.

 

[Jen1979]

Thank you, I'm so glad I took your advice and have kept mum and ducklings separate from the others after we lost the first one on the first day, even with all their complaining. I'm not going to let them run together until this baby is at least 4 weeks and even then I'll probably be paranoid supervising them for a few weeks after that!

Anyone that thinks animals don't show grief should see what I'm looking at now. Coco (the mum) is in the enclosure with her remaining baby making a sad quacking noise and Princess (the mumma who's eggs went bad) is sitting right outside answering every quack with a sad little noise of her own. For the last few days Princess has just been free ranging with the others, but now she won't budge. It's like she's consoling her.

 

[Lyss]

Oh no I'm so sorry to hear about your little one

. Its crazy how fast you can fall in love with them. RIP little duckie.

 

[Jen1979]

Oh no I'm so sorry to hear about your little one . Its crazy how fast you can fall in love with them. RIP little duckie.

It really is, isn't it. Every time I go out there at the moment I picture him running around with his funny fat little body and get upset again!

We've given him a name (we don't know if he was definitely a he, but were just saying he is because we referred to him as he from day one!) his name was Baldur - Norse God of innocence, beauty and peace.

I can't believe this morning I went out there ready to take some new photos of them with our big camera. I was all excited.