Hey, rducker, don't be sad about the late post, I am on here trying to learn new tricks after losing a baby woodie last week, so your comments were actually helpful
I had some before, about 4 yrs ago, that had been lost after a storm, about 4 of the 6 made it but they were already eating when they got separated from the clutch, I am guessing; at least they did not look like new hatchlings. Two were so terribly reactive that they just fretted to death, I think, but the other four survived and I released them once they were fully feathered. I still see the drake and two of the hens occasionally at the pond by my farm. But, the little guy I found last week still had a bit of yolk on its belly, so I know it was no more than a day old if that. Some stupid woman stopped her car in our neighborhood (my house in town, not the farm) and put him down on the ground on the corner; good grief with all the cats and etc he would not have lived 10 minutes assuming he didn't run right back out into the street and get hit. Some people... Might be one thing if it was close to a pond or other ducks or some such, but no, this is right in the big middle of a residential neighborhood. As soon as she got back in her car and took off, my son was already out the door of our car to get it. Poor little thing did not seem to be injured, but you know how ferals are; although oddly, this little one did not seem to be very frightened. I took it home and put it in my 'bird hospital' with a tiny injured gosling and a baby Lakenvelder, hoping they could teach it to eat. Well, it bonded tight to the little gosling, the two of them were actually very cute together and very tender with each other, and I saw it drinking several times but never did see it eat much. I did however see it IN the dish several times, and it seemed to be picking at stuff besides the greenery, so maybe...Then again, I tried hard to only watch when it could not see me, I did not want to scare it. I have had NO luck with force feeding ferals, but I hoped it would learn what it needed to know from the gosling. It did pick at the greens, but I wish I had known the trick about the shrimp. I lost it after about three days, just when I was beginning to think it was around the corner *sigh* I felt really bad about that.
I came here trying to learn more in case something like this happens again. Where I live, Woodies are kind of common so I fully expect to be in this position again. Then too, I have had Mandarins in the past, and it might be fun to consider actually raising some of the colored Woodies, assuming I can better learn how to keep them alive.
I had some before, about 4 yrs ago, that had been lost after a storm, about 4 of the 6 made it but they were already eating when they got separated from the clutch, I am guessing; at least they did not look like new hatchlings. Two were so terribly reactive that they just fretted to death, I think, but the other four survived and I released them once they were fully feathered. I still see the drake and two of the hens occasionally at the pond by my farm. But, the little guy I found last week still had a bit of yolk on its belly, so I know it was no more than a day old if that. Some stupid woman stopped her car in our neighborhood (my house in town, not the farm) and put him down on the ground on the corner; good grief with all the cats and etc he would not have lived 10 minutes assuming he didn't run right back out into the street and get hit. Some people... Might be one thing if it was close to a pond or other ducks or some such, but no, this is right in the big middle of a residential neighborhood. As soon as she got back in her car and took off, my son was already out the door of our car to get it. Poor little thing did not seem to be injured, but you know how ferals are; although oddly, this little one did not seem to be very frightened. I took it home and put it in my 'bird hospital' with a tiny injured gosling and a baby Lakenvelder, hoping they could teach it to eat. Well, it bonded tight to the little gosling, the two of them were actually very cute together and very tender with each other, and I saw it drinking several times but never did see it eat much. I did however see it IN the dish several times, and it seemed to be picking at stuff besides the greenery, so maybe...Then again, I tried hard to only watch when it could not see me, I did not want to scare it. I have had NO luck with force feeding ferals, but I hoped it would learn what it needed to know from the gosling. It did pick at the greens, but I wish I had known the trick about the shrimp. I lost it after about three days, just when I was beginning to think it was around the corner *sigh* I felt really bad about that.
Last edited:
