Help with orphaned duckling please?

Question

My friend and I rescued a baby duckling but now I don't know what to do with him. I decided to keep him as he wouldn't survive in the wild by himself and I don't want to put him with other ducks as apparently they often reject and kill young that isn't their own. He's a few days old at best and I assume him to be a mallard. Any help with how to raise a duckling would be much appriciated (what to feed him, where to keep him etc). Thank you!

Answer 1

Ducklings require less heat than chicks but ducklings that are cold lose their appetites, and when wet, they chill quickly and can die if not able to get warm and dry. They can live outdoors in a pen as long as they have a heat lamp to get under when it is raining or cold. Drinking water containers should be the type that ducklings cannot get in and become excessively wet when outside. If you use a heat lamp to keep them warm, raise it about two feet above them and if you are keeping them in a box, make a shaded area that they can get away from the heat. When outside and the night temperature is 65 degrees or below, they definitely need a heat lamp. If the ducklings pant and fuss a lot, they’re too hot and if they huddle in a pile, they’re too cold. Contented ducklings will play, eat, drink and sleep. Provide shelter from the wind and rain if they are kept in a pen, until they have feathered out. A towel or old sheet hanging on the side of the pen can provide shade during hot summer months.

Keep their bedding dry and a rough surface to run on. Slick flooring such as newspapers can cause a duckling's feet to form unnaturally sideways (known spraddled legs), although shredded newspapers work fine. Once you are able to put them outside, be sure to provide plenty of shade during the summer and a wind break during cold weather. I recommend putting them outside as soon as possible because they grow faster when able to eat grass, but when they are tiny, they need shelter from the summer storms or winter winds.

You can use turkey and pheasant breeder crumbles, which has nearly the same nutrients as chick starter but without the medication. Ducks and geese scoop their food rather than peck like chickens and the medication in chick starter can make them sick if eaten in large quantities. You can also use turkey grower if you dilute it somewhat (because of the high protein content) with chopped corn or chick starter. Ducks are foragers and eat grass, bugs (including mosquitoes), frogs, crawfish, minnows, etc. and they drink a large amount of water. If it is necessary for you to keep them in a container like a box or cage, put them outside to run around as much as possible, and make them a pen as soon as you are able so they can eat their favorite stuff. When outside in a pen, the heat lamp or a light bulb will attract bugs. The bugs provides niacin, something very important to duckling growth. A duckling lacking in niacin will act like it has rickets.

A netting designed for fruit trees works well to cover pens to keep out owls, chicken hawks, and hopefully the neighborhood cats and dogs as well.

I love animals very much and don't even kill an ant.

Good Luck to both of you.

Answer 2

I volunteer at a wildlife rescue centre that sees alot of ducklings so I know what I'm talking about.  

Firstly you must establish if he was actually abandoned/orphaned.  How long did you leave him before you picked him up?  If it was not very long try to take him back and put him in the same spot (assuming no immediate danger) for a while and discretely watch to see if mother duck comes back.  Often birds leave their young and come back for them.  

If no mother comes back to claim him take him back home and put him in a box with a towel and a small bowl of water.  Then put a wrapped heat pad or hot water bottle in the box for warmth (the most important thing for survival).  Better still a desk lamp ideally with a red bulb (do the duckling can sleep) over the box.  Do not put in water that he can get into as if he gets wet there is no mother duck to preen the water off him properly and he will die of hypothermia.  

It is essential that you do everything you can to find a rescue organisation or someone with experience and other ducklings to take him for you.  They have medicine and most importantly experiance and other duckling.  This duckiling must be raised with others of his own species with minimal human contact (so don't cuddle him or talk to him) as this is essential to his survival.  In such centres other mother ducks can very sucessfully take on orphaned duckings as their own even if the already have duckings of their own.  

If this is absolutely impossible then you will have to keep the duck for his whole life as he will become imprinted on you (it would then be best to purchase a tame duckling for company).  You will have to make a larger more sturdy enclosure and feed chick crumb and water and grass and suplements.  Some of the dry food can be mixed with the water.

Answer 3

first, just go down to your local feed or farm and home and ask them what kind of feed they carry for ducklings (they will know exactly what to give u and whats in your price range). then u must put it in a safe place that is usually pretty steady temp. (i keep my ducklings in my room in a large ird cage with a full plastic bottom). U will need a heat lamp or sometimes an office lamp will work, but be sure to monitor it, bcz if it is to hot or to cold it will die! be sure it can get out from under the heat so that it can cool itself if need be. put someting like a shallow bowl, or even a smaller pan that it can drink out of and even play in(remember it will need to be changed often as they do and will p**p in it). u can just put the food in the lid of an old used container. watch it pretty close for a few days to learn his eating, and drinking habits, and be sure he has plenty of both, and he should be just fine. eventually, usually within a few weeks if u are in a warm climate u can get rid of the heat lamp( to know when to do this watch and see how often he is in front of it and if u feel its time try taking it out, just watch behavior, and even pick him up and feel him,if he seems cold he is so put it back for awhile longer. another thing to remember is put the light(heat source) on the outside of the cage as he will get against it and burn himself. i hope u have fun with your duck.