Goodness! I guess all these strong feelings about your ducklings means that you all care for them a great deal. That's a good thing! :) I'm always learning something new here and I love all the input. I have played the "mama" part with my first and only 2 babies. My mallard is about a month old and his playmate is a little over a week old now, and is a Blue Swedish. I've offered them chick starter and they seem okay with that. They also have some greens everyday. I've also offered them tepid water in a shallow pan, but I didn't know about them needing to get their entire heads into the water. I will remember that from now on. I've been letting them play in about 2 inches of warmish water in the bathtub with food in the bottom. I did already know about them needing to be warmed up quickly after getting wet. They seem cold when they're through playing in the water. I remove them and wrap them in a warm towel. Then I lay down on the floor beside them and let them get under my shirt. I breath warm air on them and rub them lightly with the towel while they preen and fall asleep. I have never put them back in their pen while they are wet, though. I know they'd get mighty sick mighty quick. While they are so young I keep a couple of fleece throws for them to cuddle up in while they are penned and in their box. The pen and box have been moved to the garage now and I use a heat lamp for them. My mother raised chickens, so I knew a little bit about birds and used some of what she taught me to help me with these little ducklings. No breeze or wind is a very important point. Thanks for teaching me about the depth of water so they can clean their bills, nostrils and eyes. Aren't they just the cutest little creatures you've ever seen? I just love ducks! I'm so glad one of them found me. :) Maggie chickenmama1

It's been a long time since we hatched out ducks, but I remember having to spray(mist) the eggs with water to replicate the amount of moisture they'd receive in Nature from the mama duck. Good luck!

i AM COPYING THIS FROM THE SITE. i HAVE NEVER INC. ONLY MOMMMA DUCK HATCHED MINE possumdes by possumde... Member since: March 20, 2007 * Best answer 52% * 54 answers Member Since: March 20, 2007 590 (Level 2) Best Answer - Chosen by Voters Keep an eye on them, if the shells are too dry from an incubator or the mum sitting too tight, sometimes the shell can be too hard for them to get out of. I do think though that at this point you should break them out carefully (or at least one to see how things are going) and start at the top where they are already chipping. My elderly father is here at the moment and he used to live on farm. He said that he never bothered to time how long it took chooks or ducks to hatch, but thinks several hours at least. We used to breed canaries and from memory they took anywhere form a couple of hours to about 4-5 hours. What happens is that when the chick starts to peck they are not actually ready to come out becauase the egg sac that they feed off is still outside the body. The chicks pick at the shell then rest for up to 15 minutes then have another go at it. During this time the egg sac is gradually absorbed back into the body. If you break them out too early the sac is not absorbed and they will die. If the chicks sound like they are still picking strongly,.. rub the shell with warm water to moisten and soften the shell (dont let it get into the shell). Chicks should be picking a circle around the top of the egg like a can opener if not and are trying to pick a big a hole in one spot then they are in trouble. Try not to handle the eggs too much, just listen if you can without moving them but if the picking is sounding really erratic or weak... break them out. Personally I would break out just one and see if the egg sac is gone / the duckling looks normal. If chick looks physically ok- yep do the rest. Better to risk one as being too early than loose the lot. As a PS the day before they are due to hatch take the eggs and dip for a couple of seconds (only) in warm water (about body temp) as this will help soften the shells and make hatching much easier for the little guys. I used to have a big dish of water for chooks or a bowl for the canaries and just put them into it carefully push them under once then let them float for a few seconds. You will also know if any have died in the shell on the way as the Live eggs will wriggle a little because the chicks can sense the change in temp.

Next time change some things. I've raised over 500 birds in an incubator and 100 with hens, but none were waterfowl so I'm not exactly sure what went wrong. About the exploded eggs. Try to stabilize the temperature more during the early stages. Make sure you drake to hen ratio is correct to ensure maximum fertility. Only use clean eggs and I prefer to not wash mine because it removes a natural bacterial film covering the egg. Only wait until 36 days at the most. Try to use two or three thermometers to ensure acurate temerature. Because waterfowl need more humidity than others try to increase the humidity.