1 week runner Ducklings

[Prairie Princess]

Hello I was hoping someone could give me some advice. One of my runner ducks hatched 3 ducklings.I hand raised the hen along with others but this is the first time a hen hatched ducklings.
They are 1 week old today. I check on them twice a day as they are still with their mom. I have baby grit, duckling feed & water available at their will. So when I check on them I watch the ducklings to make sure no problems are present. They showed no sign of sickness until tonight. I went out and found 1 of the ducklings deceased with no signs of trauma or pasty butt. So my question is should I pull them from their mom and hand raise them? The hen is very protective but it’s been chilly at nights. Could the duckling not had adequate heat? I’m devastated & welcome advice.

 

[Papaye]

Hi.

I am sorry for your duckling, really; but sadly, if he does not look like he was crushed to death by the hen raising him - and if he was, you would have seen it! -, then his death is "just" natural : ducklings sometimes die suddenly, with no apparent reason... and there is nothing you can do to prevent it.
(Happened to me...!!)

You are not at fault here, nor is your hen : your duckling was not cold, and even if he was... at 1-week-old, it would require a greater cold than "chilly" to kill him in one night!
(Ducklings are, indeed, hardier than they look...)

So : personally, I would let the remaining ducklings with their mama.

...You do what you want, of course; but letting the ducklings with the hen at least means less work for you.

I have baby grit, duckling feed & water available at their will.

By "duckling feed", do you mean "crumbs"?

If so, I would not bother with grit : ducklings won't need grits as long as they are only fed crumbs.

 

[Canadian Wind]

What kind of housing do they have? Are they in with other ducks? Sometimes when they're small they can get trampled by larger ducks in a coop.

 

[Prairie Princess]

Hi.

I am sorry for your duckling, really; but sadly, if he does not look like he was crushed to death by the hen raising him - and if he was, you would have seen it! -, then his death is "just" natural : ducklings sometimes die suddenly, with no apparent reason... and there is nothing you can do to prevent it.
(Happened to me...!!)

You are not at fault here, nor is your hen : your duckling was not cold, and even if he was... at 1-week-old, it would require a greater cold than "chilly" to kill him in one night!
(Ducklings are, indeed, hardier than they look...)

So : personally, I would let the remaining ducklings with their mama.

...You do what you want, of course; but letting the ducklings with the hen at least means less work for you.



By "duckling feed", do you mean "crumbs"?

If so, I would not bother with grit : ducklings won't need grits as long as they are only fed crumbs.

I have a higher feeder with feed for the hen & the grit is there for her as well. Thank you for your response God bless

 

[Prairie Princess]

What kind of housing do they have? Are they in with other ducks? Sometimes when they're small they can get trampled by larger ducks in a coop.

Hello I actually separated the hen & ducklings in our duck house & she has it all to her & ducklings… I do however have large wood chips covering the flooring. I peeked on her last night & seen her ducklings next to her staying warm. I am thankful she is caring for them. I have 2 other hens that were broody & sat dedicated to their eggs but not successful hatching so I will be excited for next year to see if they hatch more thank you for your response