What kind of duck...?

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Starkasm

Starkasm

Songster
10 Years
Apr 1, 2013
773
70
201
In the woods
A woman came out a couple hours ago and brought 4 baby ducks to my mom. She said two of her cats, 2 of the neighbors and others she had never seen before chased off the mom and were all trying to catch the babies!
My first thought would be a mallard. You see a lot of wild ones out here. But these things are crazy! They climb like little monkeys!! It's the most bizarre thing I've ever seen!
Any ideas?




 
They're wood ducklings. The mama lays eggs in a hole in a tree and they jump out. Wood ducks also like to roost in trees, too.

Are they eating? Sometimes, it can be hard convincing them to eat. You can try live mealworms (small) or something wiggly.
 
Last edited:
Been doing searches. You may be right. They do live here. I looked up wild ducks in Maine and they came up!
I'm going to run up and tell my sis and mom. They weren't eating and I suggested they may need to grind the food.
Would regular worms work?
I have mealworms but they're dried :(
 
If you are in Southern Maine, there is a wildlife rehab place in York, ME. There is also David Sparks in Portland or Westbrook who might be able to help you.
 
If the worms are very small, it might work. Regular worms sometimes contain parasites that aren't good for ducklings. But, they would have been eating them if they were still with mom.

Dried might work if you can somehow make them "wiggle". Perhaps put them in water and drop some water drops to make the water and the worms wiggle. Maybe that'll get their attention.
 
Thank you!
We're Mid-Maine. In the boonies, not the city :)
My mom actually owns a licensed refuge which is why the woman brought them. Never had someone bring those before though!
She's known our game warden for about 30 years and can get help from him if needed too.
And of course any help on here is more than welcome!
One of my other sisters has been out hunting bugs, grubs, slugs etc
sickbyc.gif

They crack me up!! They have no fear at all and climb sooo well!
 
Just be careful what kinds of bugs you try to serve them and make sure they're very small. If you have any other ducklings (or even chicks), they can be used to show them how to eat. Once you get them eating, you can feed them regular duckling food.
 
desertdarlene said:
If the worms are very small, it might work. Regular worms sometimes contain parasites that aren't good for ducklings. But, they would have been eating them if they were still with mom.

Dried might work if you can somehow make them "wiggle". Perhaps put them in water and drop some water drops to make the water and the worms wiggle. Maybe that'll get their attention.
Click to expand...

She did the wiggle water with the duck crumbles. It worked! They are eating soup crumbles!
 

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