How to Raise Baby Ducklings
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So, you either found a baby duck or multiple baby ducks, or you bought one at a feed store and you need help. I personally found three abandoned ducklings in the middle of a busy intersection and I wanted to share with you how to successfully raise them to adulthood!
1. Ducklings are very possessive. The first thing they see they believe it is their mother. If you are raising multiple ducklings with no mom they will bond together and nothing will tear them apart. If one of your ducklings gets left alone it will quack and peep for hours. If you are only raising one baby duck it will need human bond and become attached to its human handler. Keep in mind if you intend on keeping them as pets or releasing them back in the wild.
2. When they are little ducklings need warmth! Especially, If you only have one. Any heat lamp or lamp will do!
3. Housing. Any storage box will do to house your babies until they are older.You can use cardboard boxes too, but they might get wet, you will have to line the bottom of a cardboard box with a thick layer of newspaper. Any container that will house your baby ducklings will need to be lined. Ducks are the messiest animals I have ever had, they poop everywhere all the time! Also, during feeding times, food gets everywhere, make sure you have time to clean up.
4. Feeding. Ducklings have the biggest appetite in the world. If they don't attack their food as soon as they see it, that usually indicates sickness. It is quit easy to make homemade duck food or you can buy corn meal or duck starter meal. Corn meal can be found at any grocery store, but duckling food can only be found in tack stores. Make sure not to buy adult water fowl food for your baby ducklings because it is filled with medicine. Since, baby ducks have such big appetites it is very easy for them to overdose on any adult bird food.
Baby ducklings need a variety of greens and protein in their diet, but it all needs to either be finely chopped or all ground up in a blender. Here are several homemade meals I made my baby ducks on a regular basis.
I would blend a little bit of cat or dog food in a blender with and vegetables, romanian lettuce, spinach, brussel sprouts, cabbage, celery, carrots, broccoli and more. Also, you may include fruit, but not too much because it might increase their droppings and is high in sugar. Some fruits to blend into a mixture are grapes, strawberries, apples, bananas, peaches, tomatoes, pears, and more. You could also add eggs for protein.
For breakfast lunch and dinner, I would open my fridge and grab any of the above ingredients and throw them all into a blender and feed it to my ducklings. Some meals I would focus more on their veggies and greens and other times on their proteins, and sometimes just blended some apples for a little snack. Duckling starter meal is mainly filled with cereals and corn which is not as healthy as making them homemade meals. It might take a little longer, but in the end it leaves to happier ducklings.
Water. Ducklings love water, make sure to keep their water bowls shallow and sturdy. Your ducklings will jump in it every chance they can, and might even get their poop in it. Wet ducklings can lead them to get very cold. You can add some rocks or marbles in their water bowls so they can't jump inside their bowls, and so their bowls won't spill. Ducklings need water to swallow their food. You MUST provide them water when they are eating.
Swimming. Ducklings can swim at day one. You must supervise them when they are swimming, Fill a small tub with lukewarm water, and you can supervise your ducklings swim. When they are young do not let them swim for to long because their body will get to chilled. After they are done with their swim, make sure to dry them off. Once they get older you can let them swim in an inflatable pool.
Once your ducklings get to a couple weeks old you can lets them run free in your backyard. I made my three ducklings an enclosed are in my backyard where they can run free and pick at things on the grand. In the enclosed space I also included a tub that they can drink from and jump into. They also loved to be sprayed with a house. Do not leave your ducklings outside non supervised until they are about a month old. I ended up releasing my ducks into a local lake at three months old. I do not advise you keeping your ducks unless you have a large property for them to roam and a lake. They are very messy animals, and the best place for them would be to live in a lake with other ducks. They adapt very well, so you do not have to worry about them not surviving once you release them back to the wild.
Baby ducks are survivors! The smallest one of the 3 that I found just laid on the side of the road not moving while the other 2 ran around in circles. It looked like he got hit by a car ,or got stuck in a tire. I thought he was dead, but I couldn't just leave the poor guy on the side of the road. Once I got the 3 of them home, the injured one really picked up energy and turned out to be fine. Probably, he was just a little scared, maybe ran under a car. Remember, these guys are survivors!
Make sure to take lots of pictures of them! They grow so fast! If you have any other questions about raising ducklings comment me below! I would be happy to get back to you.
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We just bought three little baby ducks a couple hours ago we had a big spare garden tub in our house we never use its making a nice place for them they are pretty fun so far. thanks for the information. sounds like it isnt too hard to handle we have all the required supplies, we should be good to go.
@goodinfo
How are your baby ducks doing ?
i just found two baby ducks an i have decided to keep them.. but i have no idea how to raise baby ducks could you help me out some?
hi i have just found some baby ducklings and i needed to know if you would have any idea about raising wood ducks
i just bought two baby ducklings, and i was reading online about how to raise them. Do they really need the infared lightbulb? or are they okay with out it?
thanx soooo much for all your help. this was amazingly helpful...thanx again!
no you do not need to use infared lightbulbs!
If you have personal questions about your ducklings fell free to email me !
Maybe this will convince my husband that ducks can be pets. Great article and love the pics!
I have two little ducklings that are just so sweet... they already follow me everywhere, and love cuddles. Adorable little creatures!!
I have found a baby duck. Reading your info was very helpful although im not sure eactly how much food I should feed him.Please help!
the duckling must need light to warm the body. What kind lamp we can use?
Ducklings have very big appetites. They will let you know when they are hungry and when they are full.
I have 3 baby duck eggs. One of them is like cracted on one side and it is not moving!.? what should I do?
We have had our duckling for about four days now, and he's doing well. We've been giving him chick started saturated in water so it's soupy, and shallow water with little bits of clover and lettuce floating in it.
We don't use a lamp of an kind, and the only time he is in his home is at night. He peeps loudly when he is by himself, even in the dark. Is this normal, is he just lonely? Bought him a little stuffed animal today, have yet to see how he takes to it.
Thanks!
My brother found what looks to me like a duck, i am not too sure right now. Here;s a lil description. It has 5 or 6 white dots on its back and the tummy is white. I have no idea how to take care of it but i will simply try my best.... Help i'm a lil scared :)
I have just had 6 eggs hatch from my momma duck...all the ducks are fine but 1/ He has trouble swimming...he swims in circles and runs into the side of the pan he is in. He also can't see his food unless I put him right in front of it and he just happens to luck up and get some. My question is why does he swim in circles?
I Had Four lovely Call ducklings who all seemed in perfect health, untill yesterday morning when in went in to check on them, and one of them was dead, lying near the food and water, and all the others were underneath the brooder. We think he must of choked on something, becouse all of the ducklings eat whatever they can get their beaks on. Have you any idea on how the duckling died? cheers x
does anyone know why ducking 3 weeks old sudenly stoped walking? and another one is started to be the same. please let me know if you got any idea.
thanks
one of the ducklings i picked off the streets was totally hit by a car's wheel. He was the easiest to catch because i forsure thought he was dead, but when i got them home he revived and turned out to be nice and healthy!
i have mallerd duck she just hached her eggs how do i cach my baby mallerds
i found a very young duck on the side of the road. i put him in a rectangular plstic container. should i put any hay or bedding in the container? and will one lamp with a 75 watt bulb do for wamth?? thanks. hope to hear back
I had two baby ducks. One of them was taken away by an Eagle. Now the other one is left alone. Its about a month old. It quacks day and night. It seems to be weak and shivering. There also seems to be a lump on its neck. Will my baby duck survive? What can I do to help it?
hi there, we just found a little duckling today.. have no idea how to take care of him!! understand about feeding, but it keeps running away and screaming, i dont even know if he drinks!!! what should i do with regards to heating him?
thank you!! any help would be great :)
hey i brought 2 ducks and i released both of them today in a bigger laker but is that good or bad cause they where all used to people and now they are all by themselves with maybe a few other ducks. Can you please tell me if that is a good or bad thing?
wait forgot to tell you they are all grown up now when i had released them!! :)
We have a duck pond in our neighborhood. My daughters and I love to walk down and feed them. Is there a quick recipe for a healthy snack that I can make for them rather than feeding them stale bread as most people do? Thanks for any help.
hay i found what i think is a baby duck egg in my back yard and i took it onder a light and could see it . i know it is a bird and perity sher it is a duck but a few days ago it was crack down the middle all by itself we thought it was a wrird hacher so then we left to go out to eat and when we got back the crack was healed ? u can see it but can not feel it do u know eny thing like it ?
thanks for all of your help. i have one baby duckling but he has a swollen area on the right side of the neck what could that be?
I recently found a mallard duckling with no feathers in the middle of the street. I cannot tell how old it is, but it is peeping constantly and even bathing itself. It seems to be healthy, but wont eat immediatly. We have only had if for about an hour and a half. how often should it eat? As for bedding, we have a heating pad with a thick towel on top in a cardboard box. I followed your instructions on what to give it so lets hope this works. My sister will die if this thing does not live so we need all the help we can get.
I recently bought 2 ducks from the pet store, but there ducks are actually bigger than all the other ducks. Does that mean they are wild???
Mother mallard was killed by a wild cat about 5 days before eggs hatched....i put them in an incubator. One duckling has a crooked neck...it was the first to try to poke out of the shell, but really the 4th out of 5 to hatch. Do you think it is wry neck, and is there any way to help??
Hey Everyone. This is a nice article on raising ducklings. Good job! Please be aware that if you have found ducklings they are most likely wild Mallard ducklings. They are protected under the Migratory bird act and you should contact a wildlife rehabber for advise and transfer. It is illegal to raise wild ducks and really it is best for them to be raised wild so they will not habituate to humans and they also may have special needs. Us humans are just full of trouble with our cars, dogs, cats, developement etc. Lets keep em wild and do whats best for them by allowing them to be raised correctly so they will stay wild and away from us and our dangers. You can locate a wildlife rescue in your area at wildliferehabber.org. Thanks for caring for wildlife!
i just got 4 baby ducks and 6 chickens well the baby chick died,and my one duck had fur missing on the top of his head and a little on the neck,i went and bought them a little pink swimming pool and put them in it but the one w/no hair was laying under water while the others swam on top of him so i grabbed him out real quick n dried him off and my land lord was kinda giving it cpr and water came out his nose and he couldnt stand up for awhile well today i put them in again watching closely this time and took them out after about 5 min but he still couldnt walk wen i got him out it kept falling over like he was drunk or something so i dont no y he keeps doing this im really worried about him
this is darby, now witha hub. We learned alot about raising ducks and this site was very helpful in our research.Unfortunatly, our little ducky died not so long ago. she died only a week before we could release her but she was sick from the beginning
This is really helpful.I have one duck found yesterday and im sharing it with my friend. Can you tell me why it peeps three times? Is it hungry or what? Please help!
sage, ducks peep because they are lonely or frightened. However, if the are scared its normally one loud one. i would reccomend a mirror and stuffed animal which will make it feel more comfortable. Also, always have food and water with it, ducklings eat constantly almost.
Amit, just feed it duck starter food or the homemade suggestion in the article.
A few weeks ago we got two ducks off a guy that raised them,and he asked since we have a pond if we wanted them,I didn't but my boyfriend did. The pond is filled with snapping turtles and the one got snagged by one and died a few days later,I knew it wasn't a good idea putting them in that pond,but everyone insisted they'd be fine. I was heart broken,I love Animals! My question is now that the ducks companion is gone he's so lost,he just sits there by the water,I go see the duck as often as I can,he's starting to get attached to me and vice versa. He follows me now and I feel horrible when I have to go! I want to try and catch him and put him in the lake so he can be with other ducks,any tips on how I can capture him?
Hey I found 6 Mallard ducklings today at a local pond, their mother is gone, I called around and apparently all the places are full where I could bring them or who could help. So I was wondering if you have an idea on how i could get them. I could take care of them for like 2 months and then let them go again when they were 3 months old... What do you think?
your site was a God-send. A mom duck choose to nest in one of our planting areas. We left the area alone so she could nest in peace. Today the 4 ducklings were found across the road all by themselves under a tree, then they ventured out into the road. We put them back in the nest, but that didn't last long.
Your site gave me the confidence to care for them at least until the weekend is over and we can find a good home for them. Who knows, maybe we will keep them until they are able to fend for themselves. We have a pond behind our house so this is a possibility.
They are now settled down in an aquarium with a lamp on them. They have water available to them (your comment about the stones/marbles in the bottom was great-we are using a stainless steel cat dish). They loved the mash of catfood and grapes. Tomorrow I will pick up some corn meal, more veggies and fruit to give them variety.
(sorta sounds like I'm looking long term....we'll see)
thanks again
My parents live on a lake and my son found a tiny baby duck[looked like it may of just hatched]all by itself yesterday. It wasn't swimming, just kind of floating next to my dad's boat. My son got it out of the lake with it's net and took it in my parents enclosed porch, where it continued to act weird. Wasn't moving much, kept putting it's head all the way down and every so often it would flop over on it's side. We tried to feed it, but, it didn't eat. Well, when my step-mom came home, she made us put it back in the lake, saying it was obviously not going to survive if we kept it and was convinced the mother duck was around somewhere and will more then likely come back for it, but, the baby duck wasn't even chirping...poor thing didn't really do anything. We went out on the boat and it had floated to the middle of the lake, then a storm hit, when we got back from boating, the baby duck was gone. Now I'm worried and wish I wouldn't have listened to my step-mom and took it in. With predators around and even humans, this tiny duck may not of stood a chance.
If I get lucky enough to see it again, should I take it in until it's bigger? Also, we didn't pick the baby duck up or anything, but, it was touched a little.
My baby duck was doing fine last night, I came in from work and he look like he wasn't gonna make it. appeared weak, not walking, sleeping alot, head kept dropping.... I left water and food crumbles (I do know it was wrong kind of food) can he make it?
Hi I have a two week old alsbury duck. When can I put him outside. Will he be ok as we have a few cats round our area. How can u tell the sex ? Plzzz help me
whats the measurement of food to give them, and how often?
Great article, sure to be helpful to all those people who end up with a duckling. Voted up.
Thankyou so much for the wonderful information on what to feed a baby duckling, we have just about tried everything lol, but this info you have given us has been far the best, cheers
great post!It gave me alot of info.
hi i have a muscovy mother sitting on roughly 10 one day old chicks do i need to feed and water them or will mum take care of all that
Great Article!-I LOVE Ducks!-I haven't had any as pets but i go to a pond nearby & feed ducks & their babies,-The babies are so cute & their parents know to trust me as i've been feeding them for so long,-I've seen baby ducks as they grow up & then migrate,Then return & have babies of their own!-This was such a great article & I'll remember it if i ever end up somehow raising ducklings.-Thanks!
A friend of mine gave me a mallard baby duck I still have Huey to this day. I take very good care of him. I keep him in a large pool like you can get at the Lowes and have a chainlinkfence to keep out pretitors. At night he likes to come in the house and sits in a babypen with dogy training pads. Also with a bowl of food and water, very inportant. He is locadet right in front of my kitchen window and he is the cutest thing to watch. I never knew that ducks can be so cuddly. I wrap him in a large towel and he wrapps his neck around mi neck. Since he does not have any other duckling friends he is very attached to me. There are so many good things to say about dogs they are smarter than we think. He comes when I call him,sometimes when we in a hotel and needs to be quiet I make gestures where he knows to be quiet and he is and so on. When I took Huey from this friend Of mine I know I would take care of him as long as I or he lives. They do require time to care for because there are to many preditors like cats dogs foxes and big birds in the sky. I strongly believe that we need to help and pick up ducks and any other left alone,or in danger anymal or any kind. But i also believe if there is no time or money available or not the right inviroment the 'Wildliferehabber.org should be notified. Thank you LoloSmith777 for such a great and helpful article.
Forgot to mention Hueys age: 17 years and still going strong.
hi my kids found a baby duckling he/she is only about 1 week old very small i dont have a heat lamp to keep him warm will he eat by himself or will i have to use a dropper please help i dont want him to die my kids very attatched thanks
They can't swim as soon as they're born by the way. Do you have any clue what age to let them in deep water? I can't find anything on it on the web? thanks
Awh! I had baby ducks when I was a little girl, I actually saved one of their lives! I was so scared I would lose her. I really enjoyed reading this hub I have been wanting to get some more ducklings and your article helped me out. Thanks so much for sharing! Voted up and interesting :)
My daughter received a duck as a gift she really is the cutest little duck but is very attached to her.She can't go more than 3 feet away before she starts screaming and won't stop, the store said to put her in a room and let her scream until she gets over it...It seems kinda harsh to do but it's been over 2 weeks and she is still at it.. Today she screamed for 2 hours until we picked her up.. even sleeps in her bed and that can't happen for very much longer.. She probably gets lonely I have called all the feed stores for a companion but can't find any,, Do you think that may help?? Will a chicken be a good substitute?
Another duck would definatly help, one of my 3 ducklings hatched 2 days before the other 2 and was very attached to me until the others came along, now I can leave the room and they are quiet and when I come back they are happy to see me. If you get another duck try to get one the same age, I advise not to get a chicken as they are more defensive than ducks and may start pecking at the duckling. Good luck and hope I helped
Thanx a million for all this info. On ducks.i got two grown up ducks.one is about to hatch.i thank God for all thoz who a caring for ducks.thanx.God will reward u.ok.
We had some ducks be for and im thincking about getting 2 ducklings and we have huge yard the ducks names were Aden Jule and Rosie.
What breed were your ducklings?
im going to by a baby duck soon but i feel scerd still.even after i read your atical.IM STILL SCERD WHAT SHOULD I DO!and i have 2 dogs.one big one small.O.O'
is there even such thing as a white duckling and a black duckling?Wil the dogs eat the duckling if u have a dog?I HAVE 2 DOGS!O.O'
I just got baby ducks they are really cute! We din't now how to raise ducks so I found this website it super cool now we know how to raise our ducks right thank alot my ducks thank u big time too.
Hi I am Tbone. I call my farm Tbone's Green Acres. I just got 4 ducklings. I have them in my bathtub.. I wondering how long before I can let them out in my pond with the other ducks. Below is a link to a picture of them. On flickr.com Tbone's Green Acres.
I am about to have 10 baby mallards in my back yard. Not sure what I need to do. The mother is still sitting on them. Any advice would be great.
im not if anyone can help me figure this out cause im cery curious..I live in a apartment complex where there are many ducks that have babies all the time. BUt ive noticed that a certain mother duck gradually has less and less baby ducks and today she had none left . I have seen this with others too they go from twelve to one duckling. Anyone know what may be happening to them?
I have had chickens for a year now and my dad went and added ducklings tomy collection...they are only 9 days old and I have them in a special enclosure in our barn with heat lamp and food and water jar that i used for baby chicks..my question is we were going to fence in a section of chicken yard for them and are putting in a small 8 by 8 pond for them I have never even thought of raising ducks but my neibor has a very large pond for them to play in when they are older is our plan ok and if they fly away will they come back? and how long until I can put them outside is their a sertain temp I should wait for?
I have 4 ducklings, and we give them freeze dried mealworms for treats. The older 2 started pooping a funny orange color today after my daughter cleaned the pen out. I found the mealworms were gone, and we had half a jar. We also use pine woodchips for bedding. Could the orange poop be because they are sick? Could the worms or the pine be the cause? My wife and I are really attatched to Sargent and Daphne. Any other ideas what it could be?
We got baby ducks a week ago. One has grown quite a bit but the other one hasnt grown at all. would there be a problem with it?
I bought a baby duckling yesterday, 3 days old. possibly an indian runner cross, did everything i was suppose to do, fresh water, food, bedding, light and even covered her last night. about 20degrees here through the night.
she was ok when i left for work but then my sister got her out at about 11am and said she was disorientated and falling over all the time. she passed away about an hour later.
i was so devastated as 2 weeks ago both my bunnies died of myxamotosis so i was lookking for a new friend.
i cant stop crying as i feel like its something i have done wrong? i dont understand it?
should i get another one? i dont want anymore heartache!
Amy NSW Australia.
Are pine shavings good or bad for bedding in either ducklings or full grown ducks?
Hi. I have a Mallard and the day we got him and as soon as we put him and the other duck under the heating lamp he appeared to have a hurt leg. He won't walk on it and holds it up and just hops along. He seems to be drinking and eating but I don't know if he will last long with a hurt leg. The other duck in there cuddles with him and isn't hurting him but when someone tries I put their hand in there he kind of tramples over him but the Mallard still seems fine. Is there anything we should do to help him? Also, about how long do you think we should keep him under the heat lamp? And for two ducks how big does the area to keep them in need to be?
can u add information about what tempetature to keep them and when to feed them and how often clean there cages i just got some for easter and we dont have a clue what to do with them.
Can I separate my 2 ducks sometimes for independence
how much duck food can you feed your baby duck? and is peas good for them?
Found a duckling today and it peeps but seems very friendly and healthy. I have discovered it's favorite place to be is in the front of my sports bra and cuddles up and sleeps quietly I can just do whatever:) thought it was funny but a helpful tip to the ladies with a peeping duckling :)
Found 7 ducklings alone last night and peeping like crazy. did the mom abandon them and if so, do you know a place I can take them.
Help please.
Ok, so i have always wanted ducks (i'm 21) and after getting married and moving to my own little farm i was set on getting ducks. i did weeks of research and found some conflicting articles. i still have NO idea what bedding they can have as some articles listed newspaper and old towels, others listed chick bedding. I also noticed at the feed store they are on chick bedding. So now i am confused. i've never been one to do things on a whim so i want to know as much as i can before i purchase any. we have a ton of space for them (out during the day and penned up at night) a giant plastic pool for swimming age babies. and a nicely built raising "tank" saw it at the feed store and had my husband build it for new babies! i have a heat lamp, waterer, and feeder. i know the food mixtures and a ton of other things but as for the bedding would appreciate a little insight! Thanks in advance!
My boyfriend brought home a baby mallard duckling yesterday. We dont have a heat lamp but we have it in a large basket lined with towels in our bathroom with a heater. From the research ive done, im guessing it is between 2-4 weeks old, judging by the feathers begining to grow from its tail.
I wat to let it run around outside but the temps are only in the 60's and im wondering if that is too cold for it even if it is only for a few minutes. Any info recieved would be greatly appriciated!
at 2-4 weeks you can let them run outside! in the wild they live outside, it is perfectly fine to let them out for a little!
it does not matter what bedding you use, you can use whatever you have in your home, or buy chick bedding, They will only be living in a confined space for a little while before they are old enough to live outside! Remember, baby ducks in the wild live on dirt and grass, the bedding is what is most convenient for you, the ducklings wont mind!
leave them alone and see if the mother returns, if not call your local animal shelter!
I wouldn't, that causes to much stress!
During the first week keep them warm and inside, and after that it is fine to let them outside! Baby ducks in the wild are born outside and live outside! Clean the cages as many times you find necessary.
One of my baby ducks was always smaller than the others, it could just be the runt!
Let the mother take care of them!
Keep your ducklings away from the dogs just to be safe, cats are a bigger concern! A small puppy might want to play to hard with the ducklings. My dog didn't do anything, he just smelled them and left them alone. Depends on your dog!
Just keep the ducks seperate from your dogs in an inclosure
Mallards
They CAN swim the second they are born. The first thing a mother duck does when they hatch is lead them to water. Ducks can swim right away, they are born with those insticts! You can let them out in deep water the second they are born, but i wouldn't until they are older.
I would keep them away from cats until they are older and can run away or fly away if they are being chased. You can only tell their gender when they are older and grow their adult feathers. The males will have more colorful, brighter feathers than the females.
thanks for the tips we just baught four duck and they are a hand full but they are so cute!! :) thanks again
Wow! Thanks so much, this helped me a lot!! They love to swim in my tub and when they get a month old are going to my sisters pond! I dried them well and they like the heat lamp, and yes they are a bit messy! I added a little grain to the blend of greens and dog food, and they enjoyed that as well.
Thanks so much!
Inoticed a mother a 12 ducklings wandering round my garden today. We have high fences and a gate so I am not sure how the got in. We dont have a ond or water. She walked round the garden most of the day and seems lost. could she be? do I do anything or just leave her to it. should I put out water or any food? They are so cute. I would like to help but dont want to interfere.
Any comments would be most welcome.
Thanks
Voted awesome. From a former bird rehabber, you did a fine job with the ducklings!
Hi i do have one question....i bought two ducks from my feed store and i have had them for all most a month but i wanted to move them into a bigger cage but i wanted to know how long they did a light for warmth? You can email me at bballgirl1215@yahoo.com
Hi, please email me at Bethany.evarts@me.com. I am thinking about getting one! :)
I just bought two baby Peking ducks, I have 17 acres of farm land with two ponds, is there any way to guarantee they will stay when they are grown?
I realy want to take care of ducklings and then release them after a few months but will they make it if they are from a feedstore.
Hi we just bought 4 ducks that are doing great but we dont know how old they are just wondered how old your ducks were in these pics or if you knew cause mine are just about that size
Hi I got 2 Aylesbury duckling 5 weeks old on Saturday but they are still very scared off me any tips on making them more demeacated ? As I want them to be pets :) thanks
I literally just found 2 ducks on the rd less than an hr ago and they are so Damn cute!! What should I do first?
My ducklings r sneezing or something, so can ducklings catch a cold?
How do you know if your little duckling is sick?
The baby duck I found today isn't eating. I have offered 'her' very small seeds, wet cat food, wet cat food mixed with soy milk. I have forced a little bit of the cat food soy milk mixture. And she has drunk the tiniest amount of water. She seems pretty perky. Any suggestions on getting her to eat? And she just pooped for the first time!
She is tiny, maybe just hatched today.
Found two orphaned ducklings. Have been caring for them for two weeks now. Both were doing fine but for the last few days one has matted wet fur on top
Of his head and one eye gets swollen. Think it might be a sinus infection from what I read but haven't seen anything about the hair loss/ constant wetness on top of the head. Very concerned, Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Hi, i was told i could let my baby duck swim.. the water was a bit cold, but not freezing, i let him in the water maybe less than tem minutes while i cleaned his cage and he just froze up, is he ok and what happened? I am guessing he froze up, got to cold. will he be ok?
We just had a moma duck and an entire litter of ducks on our porch. Our dog ran the mama away now I have I think 8-10 baby ducks that I am needing to raise.... I am going to try feeding them veggies and fruits.
kay so i just got 2 baby ducks but they are still eggs so what can i do to taake care of them
you want to feed the ducks eggs....?
my cat brought a live baby duck home, tried to find its mother but no luck. how do i now keep it alive,it is only very tiny, it is feeding on mealworm is this ok? how often should i feed him, and how much? should i handle him? i have put him in a cat basket in the utility room which is very warm, how often should i check on him? will he be ok over night with out me checking?
Our jak Russell just killed a mother duck but we found two eggs and they hatched and their fine but we don't know how to feed them
Hi we just found 2 newborn ducks one of them seem to have crippled legs what should I do ?they won't eat Ive tried wit a dropper and a bowl but they still won't eat please help me
We got 2 baby duck around Easter and they have now doubled in size and started to get feathers. We took them to the park which is called the "duck pond" because there is tons of other ducks and geese. They did not want to go in the water but after several attempts they finally went in . These huge geese came over to them and started chasing them and pecking at them. Then a couple of what we assumed were female geese got in between the other geese and the baby ducks and hissed at the other geese and then seemed to take them in. I really hop they will be ok. My kids were upset and was scared that the geese were gonna kill them. It was really upsetting cause we thought we were doing good by releasing them but not sure if they were old enough are ready.
I'm going to be 12 next week and I was just looking at pictures of little ducklings and they are so cute! We have a fairly big yard and live by the ocean. I have 2 cats and I have raised many hamsters. I have a few questions:
1. I'm not home a lot but home for at least an hour everyday, would I still be able to care for one duckling?
2. Where would I put the box in the house, living room, my room, etc.
3. Would the ocean be okay for the duckling?
4. Would it be okay to raise the duckling if I have cats around?
5. My backyard is a bit bumpy, does the pen have to have a flat ground?
6. Do you need to pay a lot of attention to them?
7. If you create a good bond with the duckling, will it, as a grown duck, come back to you if you let it swim in the ocean?
8. What would be the best breed?
I would really appreciate it if you could answer these questions and maybe add a few more facts that would help me out.
i rescued 11 ducklings and mother,they look to be about only a few hours old.
she probably had a nest near by, but thee is no water source around so after they hatched my guess is she was wandering thru the neighborhood trying to find something suitable. i corralled them in my yard, they are in an upsiededown play pen so no animals can hurt them. i tried giving them wet breadcrumbs but the mother is to scared and so the ducklings dont want to eat how soon after they are born do they need something to eat, they dont seem to waant to go in the box i put out for them,will they get cold and sick or can they keep each other warm.i have some greens in my garden.can they eat it chopped or does it need to be blendid. what can i feed the mother duck tonight.
I raised a couple of ducks and found that a small childrens pool (the hard ones)was a great home until they got bigger. also, a glass pie plate made a good water source for them.
I have questions..
I'm really scared the ducks, that we just found, will die. There are 2. They have brown feathers. I don't know even the littlest things about ducks. Can you please help me? I'm really scared they might die, and I have younger siblings, that will cry a whole lot if these 2 ducks don't make it. Please help.
My nanny used to take care of ducks, but not these type of ducks, as she says. She's going to take care of them, but, she's not sure what to feed it, or how tiny the food should be cut up if you don't have a blender. And, does the food have to be wet, or does there need to be water, along with the food, like in a bowl or something?
Do they need a lot of roaming space? We're not sure how old these ducks are. We're guessing that they're mallards. Do we have to put them in fresh water? Or can we just give them water, straight from the sink? What else can you use to warm them up, besides a heat lamp. Please help. I don't want them to die. My brothers and sister will be very dissapointed and sad. My youngest brother is only 4 and he adores the ducks, very dearly. And they're very afraid, and are cuddling each other, in the corner of the bathtub. Can we let them sleep in a cardboard box, it's a bit small. It's shaped like a rectangle. Can the ducks eat any type of vegtables? We have this type of veggie i guess you could call it. I'm not sure if they can eat it.. Please help. I really don't want them to die.
we have a teenage duck who has managed to pound a small size bowl of dog food still in full peices we can feel it in its throat does any one have any suggestions besides water
It sounded like some people where releasing domesticated ducks into the wild and many of these can't fly. If a duck can't fly it won't survive in the wild. If you can't care for it, some animal shelters will take domesticated ducks.
Great hub :) by the way what type of ducks are they?
Omg i didnt listen to myself and did what others said and brought mine to a farm after i found it....im dying now...so pissed off
i have two baby ducks(4 days old) and they seem perfectly healthy but there's always water or clear fluid commming out of there nose NOT ONLY WHILE DRINKING is that ok? they play,eat,sleep,drink and seem fine why could this be happening?????
Baby Ducks It started on May 3 2011 all the birds in our neighborhood are having a mating frenzy flying into our big fenced in backyard. We tried scaring them away it worked for most birds but the ducks only had one thing on their minds. One duck in particular would not leave, my wife and I scared her (a pretty bird with a Mohawk head dress) by running at her waving our hands and arms, we thought that worked she flew away. It was on June 7 we were sitting on our patio and across the lawn the duck we thought we frightened away in May came walking with her brood of eight babies.( boy we did not see that coming).We looked around the yard and found the nest in some thick juniper shrubs next to the air conditioner compressor .Now what do we do ( 1) gather then up with mother and relocate to the nearest lake or pond (2) call wildlife department (3) let them stay in the yard until they can fly away. My wife and I love wildlife so it was # 3. Now how to get started? First I got a garden hose and turned it on slowly, just enough to make a big puddle” they really liked that”. Next I bought Mills Brothers Wild Bird Seed” they really liked that” with equal amounts of water very important and a big bowel of seed for mother. We tried chick starter feed” no one liked that” Now with all that food on the ground we find out that there are baby quail, bluebirds, finches’, and four baby squirrels, all fighting for seed. One morning June 10 we found two dead baby ducks one close to the seed and the other next to the puddle.We did not think of anything other than birth defects. The next morning my wife was looking out the window at the seed and saw a big male quail attack and kill a baby duck, mother duck could not get there fast enough its little neck was broken (I did not know quail could do that, but I guess they have babies as well) June 14 we get up early and find that there are only 4 baby ducks another one gone? Needless to say we found out where the baby duck went! We have a hawk in our neighborhood (to gross to tell what we saw next) now we have 3 baby ducks. Now it’s getting hot outside, but we don’t want mother duck to fly away, and abandon her babies because we scared her, so we don’t turn on the air conditioner (her nest is next to the compressor) One other thing that was strange about mother duck is she would disappear about every 4 to 5 days for about 5 hours and would always return at dusk, I guess she has a GPU. (A good mother).Now it’s June 28 and the babies have doubled in size, they are not afraid of very much; they are so big, and starting to get feathers.Now its September 7th the three babies are about thirteen weeks old.Mother duck has been missing for three days the last time we saw her she was trying to teach them how to fly and they wanted no part, in fact they quit following her and moved about the yard on there own and we think this made mother feel her job was done and that’s why she didn’t come back.Now its October, 3 and its time to go, or keep them for the winter and I think that would be bad for them to stay,but what to do? We asked everyone including animal control to animal rescue they all said the same thing, take them to a public lake where they can get grass and and lots of people to feed them year around. So on October, 8 I put our big wire dog cage on the patio put seed and water in for two days until they felt it was ok to go inside. I put a string on the cage door and when all three were inside I closed the door, put them in my pick-up, delivered them to our public park, checked on them a couple of times, everything looked OK! “ I think”. There were hundreds of ducks that looked like them but we can’t be sure, I feel like they are doing well. That is what we experienced one great summer it was fun “TRY IT’’ PS. Iits april 24 2012 and mother duck is back! Now what to do?
I bought a 5 week old duckling 2 days ago, how long will it take 4 her yo get used to me. im with her most of the day but shes still peepin!!!
on of our ducks is having trouble with its leg. last night he was ok.any ideals what to do ? having trouble finding a vet around me
how do you get a duck to have eggs
I bought two ducks and one of them died. The other duck simply went crazy all day so I decided to release him at a lake. He's 5 weeks old, will he be able to survive alone?
hi there i have a baby ducklings and now its about 2 weeks old but next door i they have 3 cats that come to my back yard and they all do hunting how can i stop those cats from attacking my duckling ?
i am 9 years old. i constantly give them fresh water and chick starter. also they are always under a heat lamp in the bathroom. but they are dying. what am i doing wrong?
I Found a Baby Duck or Goose. I also did and am attempting to relocate it, and have called the proper persons.
Here's what all these posters are saying, even a 9 year old, and for crying out loud, they are dying, this kid should not have been unsupervised, where are the parents??! DO NOT TOUCH ! They are NOT Toys ! You are better off releasing them, they are great at surviving, as close as possible where you found them in a grassy area and/or pond, as I have found through careful research and questioning the right persons.
People, these are wild, if you find these, you are not supposed to keep them as pets, here is the the first thing you are to do. Call your local Humane Society! Then, this is from the experts :
Normal Feathers – The young duck or goose might be old enough to be alone. A licensed wildlife rehabilitator
can help you decide. DO NOT FEED OR GIVE WATER. Call a licensed wildlife rehabilitator.
Please do this and save a Duck. Thank you.
my aunt just got me a baby duck he is so awsome hes like my son i love him
Same comment to that last post. It sounds like some well-meaning adult gave a child a live gift, I hope the poor thing survives. I suppose this one came from a store, they do raise them there, good luck to you and treat it well, but please leave the wild ones where they are, and I realize they need rescue once in a while.
In that case do call the wildlife rehabilitators or release the ducks Asap at a pond, or a grassy place where you located them if you can.
Thank you:)
can I raise my ducks & goose on the ground in a pen
i think raising a duck is a lot of work its really hard one time i found an egg then it hatched i took care of it tell it was a grown duck
I really want to raise a duckling, can ducks live with chickens?
I think it should be noted - that ONLY wild ducks should be released back into the wild. Ducks that were purchased through a breeder are tame ducks - and in MOST cases their ability to fly has been bred out - making it impossible for them to fly south for the winter. Do not release tame ducks into your local ponds/lakes.
Hi, I have indian runner ducklings about 4 or 5 days old. Can I feed them slugs/grubs I find in the garden?
hey i just found 2 baby duckling eggs and i dont know when there r going to hattch and what do i do with them my mom dont know i have them so what do i do
how do i keep the eggs safe and haw do i know r they alive or not
12 ducklings hatched at school courtyard. 2 parents also soooo adorable cute cute cute !!!!!!!!!!!!
Hello, I've raised ducks before but that was a while back... Now at school a couple of boys bought 2 to run them over as a joke. I took them from them and I they seem fine. However I don't remember the temperature I'm supposed to keep them at and how old do they have to be to not need a heat lamp? Please get back to me ASAP. Kaitfors_95@hotmail.com
i found one duckling n was wondering if bby food will work
A lot of good info - Thanks! Live on an Inlet, 2nd year that She Duck has returned with Mate, but this was the first time she had brought Ducklings to our home after hatching--had 15! The next day she returned with all 15 then the next day...NONE. We believe they drowned or the Otter's/turtles ate them. Needless to say, we are Sad. We can tell she is nesting again, and would like to "assist". Seems other Ducks on the Inlet wind up with only 4 ducklings making it to several weeks old. If/when she shows up this time, we could be prepared to take some to care for until they are ready (as yours were 2 or 3 months) to go it alone. Unemployed, at home 24/7 and could put in the time and (quite willing) attention. Already had the unmedicated scratch and milled corn for the last Batch. They were pecking away at it on that 2nd and final trip here. Just a Bummer to lose all 15! What is your knowledgeable advice and hit me with the Truth. Thank you ahead of Time. MarthaEllen
i love lil duckies lol i love them
hi,
I have a mallard about a month old. Originally a pair, I would like to know the best course of action in providing an optimal life for my little friend. Currently, I live with my parents an had planned on releasing the pair at a friends pond for a long term plan. I am afraid now of what I should do? Duck diapers and the long haul? Introduction to the wild...perhaps find a wild family and try to sneak him in...? I spend many hours a day taking him out to 'hunt' and swimming or watching tv so I am not too sure he will be bonded or want to leave me or he will hear the call of the wild.....Any advice is welcome!
I want a baby duck but my mom won't let me!!!!!!!!!!
do u have to put them in the wild if u bought the from a pet store?
Hi! I feel as though I should start out by saying that your website has been oh so helpful to me and my children. I have two 12 year olds and an 11 year old. They have been nagging my about allowing them to adopt pet ducks from ducks for backyards. We have single income so we cannot afford big brooders. The girls were just enchanted by the pictures of bruiser and sheldon and actually decided to name on of the ducks shelldan. What type of ducks do you have? We were planning on getting white layered. We have a medium size backyard with a shed that we could keep them in. We were planning on adopting them over the summer so the girls could be with them. We know that we should keep them inside for the 1st week and then move them outside. Is a shed safe? We were planning on 4 also, 2 girls; Lillie and Lacie, and 2 boys, Shelldan, and Pooki. Would it be okay to have girls and boys together? We read that they can start mating at 16 weeks but we dont want tons of baby ducklings. How often do they lay and what should we do with their eggs. My whole family is vegan so we would not eat the eggs. Can duck eggs be eaten? Thank you so much! The girls love you website and didnt fall asleep until 4:00 AM looking at your website and woke up at 6:00 to start again. Also my husband may need some convincing, do you have any ideas, such as how hard are they to handle.Also Pekins or white layers?
I just bought two ducks and i am only 12 but i have a few qustions thart i wad wondering if you could put them in your bath tub with just a little bit of water mine seem to love it and i cant leave the yard with out them
i really want a duck my class is hatching them and i want a pompom duck!!!!!!!!!
what do you do when you have wild duck eggs,becuase its mother is gone.............help me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
thank you lots for the information i went to the store with my granparents and the man had all kinds of them so i didn't have mony then i went back and got 2 of them so then i called a few people about what to feed them and they said to start them out on start and grow then as they get bigger to give them cracked corn and so i live on a farm an have a huge pond and another 2 ponds that are right by the house mine look just like yours there are all cute
does anyone know how to convince their parents to let u have a duck????????
I just foud 7 ducklings on the side of the road running around in circles!! Should I put them in my pool to cool off for a few minutes of its hot outside?
We have been incubating Rouen Mallard egg for sometime now. We have run into a problem keeping them alive. They hatch out pretty well, and look really good for about 2or 3 weeks. They ate and drink well, but all of a sudden when watered and feed, we go back in there and some will be dead. Could you please give we some pointers. Do you keep food and water in front of them all the time?
Today i found a baby duckling outside and saved it from my cat. i brought it inside and put together a plastic tub with a blanket inside with food and water but it doesnt want to move. its not interested in the food or water.(note)it looks quite a bit younger than the ones in your pics. any suggestions?
You seem to know a lot about ducks so I hope you don't mind my asking you some questions about mine.
I started out with 2 ducklings about 1 month old. As expected, they were inseparable until one got mauled by a stray dog and had to be put down. The remaining duck (Orville) was very vocal when I took Wilbur away and I knew ducks weren't good as individuals so I bought two more (Bonnie and Clyde) only these are very small chicks. I was advised to keep them separate for a while as the older duck may pick on the younger two. I have the smaller ducks in a large pet carrier which is inside the pen. Today i noticed that the bill of one was injured and I am fairly sure the older duck waited until the chick put their bill through the grate and bit it. I am sure the duckling will be okay but I need to know long this behavior might continue. I now have the pet carrier cordoned off from the rest of the pen so it shouldn't happen again. Yesterday I put the chicks in the wading pool one at a time for a quick dip and Orville made it quite clear that this was not acceptable. Also, since the unfortunate demise of Wilbur, Orville has been shedding quite a number of feathers----grooming them out apparently. Is this a stress related issue to due to loss of Wilbur or just the time of the year for this? I have a duck house that I will be floating in my small stock pond once they are all large enough to start to get along but they are in about a 50 square foot pen with a child's wading pool in it for now. I'm also dog proofing my entire property soon so the dog problem will not be a continuing issue. Since I've had the first two, we kept them near the house, first in a pen then without the pen to run the property which is my preference. With the pool present, they will not go into the pond and when I've carried or herded them to the pond, they jump in, swim across and scamper back to the house and the pool. How can I condition them to spend most of their time at the pond? I really don't want them so attached to the house area. Like relatives, I don't mind a visit but I really prefer they live somewhere else.
Thanks in advance for any information you can provide.
Hi me and my partner just bought 2 runner ducklings from a pet shop. it was a spur of the moment buy as we thought they were being mistreated as they looked miserable and dirty and were staying in a dirty hutch. Only problem is we have no idea how to care for a duckling and the people in the shop couldn't tell us anything except that they can't fly. We got them home and put them in a shallow bath to clean themselves up. When they were nice and dry they looked a lot healthier. Could you just give us some advice on how to properly care for them? We reckon they are about 4 weeks old from pictures we have seen on the internet. They are currently living in a rabbit hutch outside on a bed of sawdust and a blanket, with corn feed and water in specialised duck/chicken feeders. Will they be warm enough? What sort of housing should they have when they get bigger and at what age will they need a bigger house? Should they be vaccinated against any diseases? Wormed? Flead? Any information you can give us would be great! Thanks, Tracey and Cindi
my friend found a duckling its about a few days old, it was alone so she gave it to me, its a wild mallard and very scared, ive put it with my young chicks to calm it down but im affraid it will fret for its mum, i have a duckling dew to hatch so it wont be alone for long, do you think it will settle ok
Hi,
I have just adopted a duckling which had been abandoned by its mother. It is very young now and I am prepared to keep it in the house with the heat lamp for a few weeks, but I was just wondering how ond it has to be before it can a)be without heat and b)go outside into the poultry ark without heat. Thanks for your help!
I just got a baby duck he bites himself alot is that normal?
Me and my children just found a baby duckling wandering around in the high grasses around are property there are 3 small ponds nearby and we dont see any ducks around and our coon dog actual found the duck. So we picked it up and we just got finished raising a group of Rhode Island red baby chickens. So we just brought the baby duck back to the house and put it into a pet taxi and lined the bottom with some pine shavings. I was just wandering if the chick starter food I had left over from the baby chicks would be sufficent food for the duck plus some of the recipes that you had listed as well.
i found an abandoned duckling when we found the family in the same lake the mom pecked at her and so did the other ducklings and tryed to drown her so i kept her
i am planning on keeping my ducks and i was wondering if they wud fly away if they lived my yard?
lovelypaper Level 2 Commenter 2 years ago
We have duck that cross a busy highway here all the time and they've never gotten hit. Great hub.