Duckling- I'm so confused!

If it is the duckling in your avatar, that is not a wild duck from what I can tell. It looks like a Black Swedish mix. It would be a death sentence to put a domestic duck or duckling in a pond by itself.

Maybe some of the other members who raise permitted wild species will chime in if I am off base on the identification.

Too bad I am not closer (SE Louisiana about an hour North of New Orleans) or I would take it in a second. I hope if this does turn out to be  domestic duckling, that your parents will consent to see reason. If not, at the very least advertise it on here, Craigslist, and the local feed stores to find it a home instead of letting it go.

^^^x2!!

Okay, I thought I remembered that duckling from another thread: It is a domestic duck not a wild one. Domestic ducks are not supposed to be "released to the wild", irregardless if this is where you found its egg or not. I will all but guarantee that if you take that little baby to the pond and release it, something will have made it into a midnight snack by the next day. It has no survival skills.

Also, until it is feathered, it needs a mother to keep it warm. Lacking that, requires a heat light.

So, why are your parents having the sudden change of heart? I mean they were on board when you built an incubator and hatched it, and have been raising it for several days? Now it suddenly must be let go?

I am not on your case. Your parents sound like they are trying to do the right thing. However, since this is not a wild species, but a domestic one, it would be irresponsible and possibly illegal to release it to the wild.

Put this little guy on the Jackson, MS Craigslist and on here under the for sale section: It is the fourth catagory: Other Poultry - Birds and Hatching Eggs. That is the more responsible thing to do.

Okay, in that case....like I said: Flyers at the feed store, posting on here offering free to a good home in the buy-sell-trade section, and posting on Craigslist Farm and Garden sections in Jackson, MS and Shreveport, LA  as well. Somebody will take him. Just do the postings ASAP so you can get him re-homed right away.

Good job and I am glad your parents are going to let you find him a home rather than "return him to the wild". Your first post made it sound like that was their intention. Good luck and if you need any help with the postings, PM me and I'll help however I can. If you were closer I'd just take it myself, but you're 5 hours away.

The duck needs a stable, secure box he or she can see out of, I use a coated wire dog crate.  It needs to be tall enough for the duck to stand all the way up and not be crouching.  It has to be secure so that if you need to stop and open the car door, the duck will not escape.

Also, I like to have a towel as bedding.  I don't give food for the short trips, but I did learn from Kim at Majestic Waterfowl to make a travel water container and carry a bottle of water.

I hope I describe this right.

Take a plastic semi disposable food container, about two cup capacity, and cut a hole in the lid leaving it about an inch wide.  Snap the lid on the container and fill it about 2/3 of the way.  This will keep the sloshing down, and enable the duck to drink on the trip.  Drinking is important, in part because if the duck gets carsick, it will need some water.  Yes, ducks can get carsick.  It's not that bad, I have had it happen on the way to the vet, an hour away from here.