Advice on found duck please!

[crimsonmama]

hi. I am looking for any tips or advice on helping a duck I found two days ago please.

I have kept quails, budgies, cocktails, parakeets and currently have a silkie hen. I have rescued pigeons, some successfully, some not so much if cat scratched. I love birds and animals and would try to help any animal if found injured.

Anyways this duck was sat down in the road and didn't move when I had to slowly maneuver my car past it. I decided to turn around and see if it needed help. When I drove back some people were shooing it out the road and it was limping badly and couldn't hardly stand.
I wrapped it in my jacket and brought it home. I think it's a girl as its brown and not green or colourful like the male mallads at a pond near where I live.

I put her in my chickens chicken house and let her rest overnight. I washed her feet and inspected them. No cuts, lumps, bumps or signs of injury. No reaction of pain. Her leg was fine but her foot was limp and she didn't spread her toes. After one nights rest she stood better on her good leg (which she had exhausted trying to support all her weight on it).
I let her roam free in the garden and she seemed to enjoy sunbathing in the grass, stretching her wings and legs and she ate some bread. I know bread isn't great but she wouldn't touch the chicken feed, oats, peas, sweetcorn and lettuce I tried.
Last night she went into the bushes and I was worried about her overnight but this morning she was standing much better and putting her foot flat and spread on the ground instead of limp. But she still limps and quickly tires and lays down. She has been drinking and today finally ate some of the oats and chicken feed.
This evening she got inside the shallow water trough I provided and seemed to be enjoying herself.
It was getting late and she didn't show signs of going into the bushes like the night before so I caught her and have locked her in the chicken house (without the chicken! My silkie lives indoors but is let out to roam and I thought she would like an outdoor house but is not interested unless food is inside of it).
Anyways I am hopeful the duck just had a sprain and will get better over a few days or weeks or rest. But should I lock her in at night? Or let her fend for herself as if in the wild? A neighbouring cat has been trying to get in my garden since the duck but my fence is cat-proofed because of my own birds. But as mine are not out unsupervised are night I don't know how persistent a cat might be if it really wants in?

And if she does get better will she fly away? Or should I take her to the duck pond? I wouldn't want to release her at the road where I found her?

Any and all tips welcome!

 

[Duck mommy 2019]

hi, can you post some pictures of her please? it sounds to me like she was dumped and isn’t wild at all...

 

[nchls school]

hi. I am looking for any tips or advice on helping a duck I found two days ago please.

I have kept quails, budgies, cocktails, parakeets and currently have a silkie hen. I have rescued pigeons, some successfully, some not so much if cat scratched. I love birds and animals and would try to help any animal if found injured.

Anyways this duck was sat down in the road and didn't move when I had to slowly maneuver my car past it. I decided to turn around and see if it needed help. When I drove back some people were shooing it out the road and it was limping badly and couldn't hardly stand.
I wrapped it in my jacket and brought it home. I think it's a girl as its brown and not green or colourful like the male mallads at a pond near where I live.

I put her in my chickens chicken house and let her rest overnight. I washed her feet and inspected them. No cuts, lumps, bumps or signs of injury. No reaction of pain. Her leg was fine but her foot was limp and she didn't spread her toes. After one nights rest she stood better on her good leg (which she had exhausted trying to support all her weight on it).
I let her roam free in the garden and she seemed to enjoy sunbathing in the grass, stretching her wings and legs and she ate some bread. I know bread isn't great but she wouldn't touch the chicken feed, oats, peas, sweetcorn and lettuce I tried.
Last night she went into the bushes and I was worried about her overnight but this morning she was standing much better and putting her foot flat and spread on the ground instead of limp. But she still limps and quickly tires and lays down. She has been drinking and today finally ate some of the oats and chicken feed.
This evening she got inside the shallow water trough I provided and seemed to be enjoying herself.
It was getting late and she didn't show signs of going into the bushes like the night before so I caught her and have locked her in the chicken house (without the chicken! My silkie lives indoors but is let out to roam and I thought she would like an outdoor house but is not interested unless food is inside of it).
Anyways I am hopeful the duck just had a sprain and will get better over a few days or weeks or rest. But should I lock her in at night? Or let her fend for herself as if in the wild? A neighbouring cat has been trying to get in my garden since the duck but my fence is cat-proofed because of my own birds. But as mine are not out unsupervised are night I don't know how persistent a cat might be if it really wants in?

And if she does get better will she fly away? Or should I take her to the duck pond? I wouldn't want to release her at the road where I found her?

Any and all tips welcome!

I would lock her up at night. Once the foot is better she is likely to fly away. If not, congratulations, you are a duck owner. What kind of duck is she? Post a picture.

I agree, she does not sound like a wild duck.

 

[Weeg]

I would lock her up at night. And like Duck mommy said, O thinks she’s domestic, ounce she recovers if you could keep her that would be great, or you should find her a good home.

 

[Weeg]

If you feel the need, you can try and wrap her foot in an arnica sauve mix. I did this for my limping chicken and she seems better. It might not need to tho since she seems better. Plus duck feet/legs are pretty hard to wrap. I can give you more info on it tho if you decide to try!

 

[Gallinarium]

If she's domestic, that's great. Most states don't allow you to have Mallards without a permit, not that I horribly care. But that would be good, anyway. Either way, you did the right thing rescuing the duck.

 

[Duckmom27]

Pictures would help, in part to determine age. If she's young and was dumped, it's possible she's not walking well because of a niacin deficiency. Rouens look like mallards but are larger, so if she's a young rouen it may be that someone dumped her and hadn't been giving her enough niacin in her diet. Since you didn't find anything physically wrong with her feet when you looked at them, that's the thought that comes to mind for me

 

[crimsonmama]

Thanks for the replies! I live in the UK... not sure if there is rules about keeping ducks? But if she wanted to stay that would be fine. I'm worried about releasing her and having other ducks attack her. But cross one bridge at a time!

I'll see if I can get some pics. Its early so will be in the chicken house box. Oh actually she is out and went into the water dish!

 

[crimsonmama]

Some more pics if I can get closer!

 

[crimsonmama]

OMG... I am just sitting in my house and the duck has come indoors and is walking (limping) around my living room. She went inside my silkies pen and came up to where I am sitting looking like she wants to try to fly up to where I am. But is also afraid of me and hisses if I get too close. Very strange!
Does make me think she is more domesticated than I I first thought?
If she needs niacin how do you get that?