Adoptive mother duck won't let ducklings eat or drink

[Cattnip]

We recently got some week old ducklings, and a mother duck showed interest in them so we let her try to raise them. She was doing great until we noticed she kept biting the ducklings and pushing them around. Every time the ducklings try to eat and drink, the mother pushes them away and keeps them in a corner of the coop so they can't get to the food and water. Is this normal? What should we do?

 

[Sablehaven]

Not normal, sounds like you might have to raise them yourself or get them to a new mama : (

Some animals are just bad parents, it happens. She should never attack them for no reason, or keep them from food and water.

 

[GranderTheGander]

Wild ducks do that with babies that aren't their own. They try to drown them at times, too. That's what they are supposed to do, although occasionally you'll have a mother who gets tired of trying to chase away orphaned ducklings, or will willingly adopt orphaned ones. Only occasionally. Does she have her own babies since you said she was a "mother duck"? Wild mallard mothers will often chase away other ducklings if they are eating near her own ducklings, or get in a fight with another mother, because she sees the other ducklings as taking away food from her ducklings. Whatever, it sounds like you need to get them away from her before she kills them one way or another. She's not being "bad". They aren't hers.

 

[Cazook]

She hasn't accepted them as her own. You need to remove them and raise them yourself or they'll be in trouble.

Usually broodies will only accept day-old chicks and not reliably, 1 week olds is a bit much even if the duck is a proven mother.

 

[GranderTheGander]

She hasn't accepted them as her own. You need to remove them and raise them yourself or they'll be in trouble.

Usually broodies will only accept day-old chicks and not reliably, 1 week olds is a bit much even if the duck is a proven mother.

So, domestic ducks might mother ducklings they didn't hatch?

 

[Crazy Maizie]

So, domestic ducks might mother ducklings they didn't hatch?

I've read that some will, but it really depends on the broody and if you can swap eggs out and replace with ducklings. However, you have to do it and the observe the mother duck to make sure she doesn't reject them. I think it's harder with ducklings than with chicks, but I've read where people have been successful at doing this.