ducklady1010
In the Brooder
- Jun 17, 2019
- 27
- 18
- 24
I want to thank all the people who have responded to my cries for help hatching the 3 wild mallard eggs I rescued. I never imagined this would be so emotionally trying.
An update: one egg hatched with no problem.
The 2nd egg required assistance and thanks to your responses and this wonderful website I was able to intervene successfully. I did work slow but determined that the duckling leg was crossing over his eyes with the beak stuck in between shell and the leg. Once the leg was freed and just a small amount more of the shell he was born. However the duckling is quite small and there was some yolk left behind despite my attempt to place the duckling in a cup. The poor thing managed to wiggle out of the cup. He is alert, hops around, drank some water and nibbled on the food. My fingers are crossed that he remains a keeper.
I tried the water test on egg #3 is morning. It doesn't drop to bottom and floats just a small amount. It does not tilt very much. I also candled the egg. This egg is like egg #2, air sac in the correct spot, middle very dark, but the bottom portion of the egg is yellow with dark stuff at the very bottom. My novice eyes don't know what this means.
My best guess for hatch date turned out to be fairly correct......but I am still hoping that #3 will progress.
Thank you again and if you have any more words of wisdom or articles I should be reading please let know.
An update: one egg hatched with no problem.
The 2nd egg required assistance and thanks to your responses and this wonderful website I was able to intervene successfully. I did work slow but determined that the duckling leg was crossing over his eyes with the beak stuck in between shell and the leg. Once the leg was freed and just a small amount more of the shell he was born. However the duckling is quite small and there was some yolk left behind despite my attempt to place the duckling in a cup. The poor thing managed to wiggle out of the cup. He is alert, hops around, drank some water and nibbled on the food. My fingers are crossed that he remains a keeper.
I tried the water test on egg #3 is morning. It doesn't drop to bottom and floats just a small amount. It does not tilt very much. I also candled the egg. This egg is like egg #2, air sac in the correct spot, middle very dark, but the bottom portion of the egg is yellow with dark stuff at the very bottom. My novice eyes don't know what this means.
My best guess for hatch date turned out to be fairly correct......but I am still hoping that #3 will progress.
Thank you again and if you have any more words of wisdom or articles I should be reading please let know.
