Anka the Black Swedish duckling
hour 5
hour 12
1 hour after hatch
sorry - long post!
Recently my chicken hatched her eggs - she was sitting on chicken eggs and duck eggs. Of course the chicks hatched before the ducks did, so she got off all of the duck eggs but one. She stayed on it an extra day, then I came home from work and she had kicked out the remaining chicken egg and duck egg. I was going to toss them both out until I heard peeping from chicken egg, but no sound from duck egg! I don't have an incubator, as I usually use nature's incubator - a hen! However, we do have a heat lamp. Put both eggs under the lamp with a moist towel for humidity. After another day the chick did not hatch and then the noise stopped. Opened the egg and there was too much humidity loss - the chick was stuck in the membrane
I was about to give up on the duck egg, I was just "experimenting" anyway - did not think it would actually develop being under a heat lamp for several days....then after knowing what happened to chick in shell, knew same would happen to duck if it actually tried to hatch. Well on day 5 of being under a heat lamp the duck egg started to peep and move- I was so shocked!!!! I gave it almost 2 days to try and hatch itself (not wanting to interfere with the natural process!). Poor thing only managed to barely pip the shell so I opened hole a tiny bit so it would not suffocate. After several more hours, it had not made any progress so I began to slowly slowly "help"(I don't generally do this, but figured what the heck). I spent 14 hours gradually peeling shell until I got it half way, then let ducky do it the rest of the way. Took another 8 hours or so for it to finally get out of shell, then didn't walk the first 2 days - I was very worried it had suffered a deformity or something from being in shell so long! (gave it Pedialite after hatching also). My husband thought it would be a good idea to put it with the new chicks that hatched several days previously, but that didn't work out. Momma hen didn't want it and chicks were already so much bigger that getting trampled was a possibility. After an hour of duck just cowering in the corner he brought her back into house.
It's now been 2 weeks and little Anka (duck's name) is doing great! She currently lives in the house in a rubbermaid container and has definitely imprinted on me - loves to sit in my lap! We have several chickens, 2 ducks (now 3), and 2 geese. They are all friendly, but not imprinted on me like this little duck is - will it adjust to life outside with the others eventually? will it even know it's a duck? I love my little duck, but I don't have time to let it live in house and wear/change duck diapers. Concerned about how it will socialize with other birds. Anyone have experience with this? When is a good time to put it with the others?
Thanks!!!!!
sorry - long post!
Recently my chicken hatched her eggs - she was sitting on chicken eggs and duck eggs. Of course the chicks hatched before the ducks did, so she got off all of the duck eggs but one. She stayed on it an extra day, then I came home from work and she had kicked out the remaining chicken egg and duck egg. I was going to toss them both out until I heard peeping from chicken egg, but no sound from duck egg! I don't have an incubator, as I usually use nature's incubator - a hen! However, we do have a heat lamp. Put both eggs under the lamp with a moist towel for humidity. After another day the chick did not hatch and then the noise stopped. Opened the egg and there was too much humidity loss - the chick was stuck in the membrane
I was about to give up on the duck egg, I was just "experimenting" anyway - did not think it would actually develop being under a heat lamp for several days....then after knowing what happened to chick in shell, knew same would happen to duck if it actually tried to hatch. Well on day 5 of being under a heat lamp the duck egg started to peep and move- I was so shocked!!!! I gave it almost 2 days to try and hatch itself (not wanting to interfere with the natural process!). Poor thing only managed to barely pip the shell so I opened hole a tiny bit so it would not suffocate. After several more hours, it had not made any progress so I began to slowly slowly "help"(I don't generally do this, but figured what the heck). I spent 14 hours gradually peeling shell until I got it half way, then let ducky do it the rest of the way. Took another 8 hours or so for it to finally get out of shell, then didn't walk the first 2 days - I was very worried it had suffered a deformity or something from being in shell so long! (gave it Pedialite after hatching also). My husband thought it would be a good idea to put it with the new chicks that hatched several days previously, but that didn't work out. Momma hen didn't want it and chicks were already so much bigger that getting trampled was a possibility. After an hour of duck just cowering in the corner he brought her back into house.
It's now been 2 weeks and little Anka (duck's name) is doing great! She currently lives in the house in a rubbermaid container and has definitely imprinted on me - loves to sit in my lap! We have several chickens, 2 ducks (now 3), and 2 geese. They are all friendly, but not imprinted on me like this little duck is - will it adjust to life outside with the others eventually? will it even know it's a duck? I love my little duck, but I don't have time to let it live in house and wear/change duck diapers. Concerned about how it will socialize with other birds. Anyone have experience with this? When is a good time to put it with the others?
Thanks!!!!!
