For the past week or so, I've been noticing some odd behavior among the ducks in a pond my dogs and I frequent, specifically behavior involving some baby ducks. I am hoping someone can help me make sense of what I've been seeing, because I believe that some ducklings at the pond are essentially orphaned, but I don't want to take them to a rehabilitator without being absolutely certain.
For context, people frequently dump their domestic ducks at this pond. A Pekin and a crested Pekin have both been left at the pond at some point, and they've lived there for a few years. Since coming home from college, I noticed that two new ducks have been hanging out with the Pekins, a male and female. Initially, I thought they were mallards, but I now believe that they might be Rouen ducks that were abandoned there, as they are very large and seemed to immediately gravitate towards the formerly domestic Pekin ducks. However, I am not very knowledgeable on duck breeds, so I'm not completely sure. Anyways, earlier this spring the female had babies. However, it seems that recently, she has essentially abandoned them, despite still living near the pond. The Pekin, crested Pekin, and male and female Rouens (or mallards?) all swim around the pond together, but they completely ignore the ducklings. Sometimes, the mother isn't even anywhere to be found. The ducklings swim around the pond together quacking loudly, seemingly searching for their mother. Sometimes, they manage to catch up to the adult ducks, but often, I see them on their own wandering the pond aimlessly. I thought this was weird, but because the mother was mostly still around, I assumed the ducklings would be okay. However, four ducklings became three at some point, and tonight while walking by the pond I saw that one of the three was dead, and there are now just two. All of the adult ducks in the pond ignore these two, and even though they have tried following around the Pekins and Rouens, they are constantly left behind. I'm afraid that the remaining two will die since the mother seems to avoid them. I also feel bad, because maybe if I had done something sooner, the third ducklings would still be alive. I think I could pretty easily catch the two ducklings and bring them to a rehabilitator, but would that be doing the right thing? Someone more knowledgeable than me please help!
For context, people frequently dump their domestic ducks at this pond. A Pekin and a crested Pekin have both been left at the pond at some point, and they've lived there for a few years. Since coming home from college, I noticed that two new ducks have been hanging out with the Pekins, a male and female. Initially, I thought they were mallards, but I now believe that they might be Rouen ducks that were abandoned there, as they are very large and seemed to immediately gravitate towards the formerly domestic Pekin ducks. However, I am not very knowledgeable on duck breeds, so I'm not completely sure. Anyways, earlier this spring the female had babies. However, it seems that recently, she has essentially abandoned them, despite still living near the pond. The Pekin, crested Pekin, and male and female Rouens (or mallards?) all swim around the pond together, but they completely ignore the ducklings. Sometimes, the mother isn't even anywhere to be found. The ducklings swim around the pond together quacking loudly, seemingly searching for their mother. Sometimes, they manage to catch up to the adult ducks, but often, I see them on their own wandering the pond aimlessly. I thought this was weird, but because the mother was mostly still around, I assumed the ducklings would be okay. However, four ducklings became three at some point, and tonight while walking by the pond I saw that one of the three was dead, and there are now just two. All of the adult ducks in the pond ignore these two, and even though they have tried following around the Pekins and Rouens, they are constantly left behind. I'm afraid that the remaining two will die since the mother seems to avoid them. I also feel bad, because maybe if I had done something sooner, the third ducklings would still be alive. I think I could pretty easily catch the two ducklings and bring them to a rehabilitator, but would that be doing the right thing? Someone more knowledgeable than me please help!
