Hatchling

The egg that the Mamas left behind yesterday hatched this morning. It was a bit of a hair raising 24 hours as the little chick got stuck and we ended up having to help. Ducks require a certain about of humidity/moisture to hatch and it's real hard for us humans to get that perfect. 

So this pic is from yesterday around 5pmish As you can see the duckling has her beak out and is breathing air. the red membrane you see was our biggest problem as it dried up and basically locked her in the egg. We misted the egg with warm water every hour.

This photo is from around 7am this morning. With help from us she made it about 80% out of her egg.

And this photo is from around 8am; she's out! However, her food sack was not absorbed properly, so now we have a new problem. She's also very weak. Google tells me that the food sack should dry up and fall off on it's own or we may have to cut it off. Poor little sweetheart is exhausted. 

This last photo isn't mine. I saw it this morning and just wanted to share it. It comes from "Just Ducky" Facebook group I'm on. These are Florida hens being evacuated. The owner was quite inventive (I've never seen wrapped hens before!), but damn, it works and the hens aren't being left behind! Respect for the person who left no one behind!

Wishing you all a wonderful day! I'll keep you updated on the new hatchling. Hugs and love!