brand new baby duck abandoned

[Cailly_Sighs]

ok, have it sleeping on my hand in my pocket right lol , hard to type....

one of my brown runners disappeared, thought coyotes got her but sunday eve she appears with 7 ducklings in tow. this morning she had eight of em. I was in my room and heard peep peep peep in mid afternoon, so when I heard it the second time I went out looking. I found a new born duckling, all dry and fluffly, about 10 feet from where the hen was hiding on her nest. It let me pick it up and quieted as soon as I held it. I put it by the other duckling and the mom started mauling it, so I grabbed it and now I am the mom it seems.... ( I believe the egg hatched after mom left the nest....)

The mom taught the babies to est, but what do I do with this new baby? I gave it water and have starter mash, which I gave some to and it perked up. ( I dont know how long it was alone or "alive" before I found it.

I just wonder what the ducks feed their babies in nature too. I know the others are having a blast under my deck and pond (that leaks...so lots of mud for em down there... but they dont seem to eat any of the mash I put down and are thriving.

Fun thing, my other runner female, doesnt nest but as soon as she saw the baby ducks, she ran to where she lays her eggs and is now trying for cute little babies of her own LOL

 

[Amiga]

I would suggest reading the sticky on raising baby ducklings, and think about how you might raise it with at least one buddy. Sticky situation. There you have other ducklings with the mom, but that is apparently no help right now. wow.

 

[Cailly_Sighs]

Well, I am watching the remaining three eggs on the nest, well pushed off to the side... to see if another one hatches. I really cant afford to just go buy another duckling; hecck having to feed all these outside is going to be a hardship as it is. if I could catch em, that would be one thing but NOOOOOooooo, I am the mean lady who has fed them all every day since babies and they want nothing to do with me, they run and squack like I chase em with a broom or something LMAO ( no, that has never happened to them...)

 

[jdywntr]

You may still be able to introduce the baby to mom.

I would suggest trying to seperate mom from her ducklings and placing the "abandoned" one in with the other babies. Ducks can't count and unless the one looks completely different from the others, it should work. I don't mean for you to stress her or catch her but if you can just seperate them for even a minute and add the outsider it may work.

I had a runner that sat for 4 days after her babies started hatching. Other hens had been layin in her nest but she was determined. After she left the nest, I checked the 3 or 4 remaining eggs and 1 was pipped. I brought it inside and hatched it. I was able to add this baby to it's siblings when they were about 4 days old. There was a HUGE size difference but mom was more concerned that I was near her babies than how many babies were there.

If you are not able to add the baby back in, I'd take one of the ducklings from the mom to raise with this outsider.

 

[Cailly_Sighs]

I thought of that, trying to introduce it at night but no luck as it is impossible to catch these ducks, period. Nor reach them when they are sleeping.

I went to a locate feed store and got two baby mallards ( cos all they had left)

Now like 3 hours later, one of them is near death! and the other one is not perky either. Knowing my luck, they are sick and now "Harry" (what we called the abandoned duckling) will catch it and die too

argh!

 

[Cailly_Sighs]

SO, I called the feed store, they said baby ducks need to have food and water separate. Even when I got them, the kid said have the food separate and the water separate. I was like DUH, but he didn't explain fully like the lady just did, they have to have water only for an hour or so and food only for an hour or so and so on..

I have never heard of this, she said it is cos them having food and water at the same time it turns the food into cement in their stomach and they cant digest it but they can go twelve hours without food.... I ask then why was one sick like an hour after I got it home and now dead, she just said if I wanted more, they would have more in next week.


has anyone ever heard of feeding duckling this way and the cement theory?

 

[Luminide]

SO, I called the feed store, they said baby ducks need to have food and water separate. Even when I got them, the kid said have the food separate and the water separate. I was like DUH, but he didn't explain fully like the lady just did, they have to have water only for an hour or so and food only for an hour or so and so on..

I have never heard of this, she said it is cos them having food and water at the same time it turns the food into cement in their stomach and they cant digest it but they can go twelve hours without food.... I ask then why was one sick like an hour after I got it home and now dead, she just said if I wanted more, they would have more in next week.


has anyone ever heard of feeding duckling this way and the cement theory?

...that isn't true at all. Ducks need water to swallow. Eating without water makes it very likely for them to choke and die. Always provide a waterdish deep enough to dip their entire beak in (nostrils and all) and provide both food and water near-constantly when they are young.

Whoever the hell this feedstore person is, she shouldn't be giving advice to anyone. It's probably her improper care of these ducklings that caused them to become so sickly. I strongly advise you to contact humane services in your area and ask them to investigate.

 

[Cailly_Sighs]

These folks at the feed store, well not too many people like them in this town but I only went there only cos they were only place with baby ducks. When I told her that I have other ducks and I know that they need water all the time, she laughed at me. I said I did not feed them any different than older Khaki runners I bought from them last year, she scoffed, cut me short and said I could come buy new ones next week... LOL

I still do not understand why they died less than 6 hours after I bought them, nor how that could be my fault, especially when the abandoned duckling is doing fine....

And, yes they told me I had to purchase new babies, they would not replace them. I will file a complaint like you recommended, but I doubt anyone will pay attention, especially since it was "only" $10.00. ( When you have less than $50.00 to last you til the 1st, "only" $10.00 is a lot of money, to me at least. Sigh)

Still, they were happy and fine when I got them home: I just do not understand what happened and why so quickly.

 

[Cailly_Sighs]

Well, after thriving for two days, after being born alone and finding way out of nest to a place to be found, after surviving his mom nipping at him in rejection, Harry is exhibiting the same symptoms of the two babies that I had bought to be his friends. He is lying, dying in my hand right now. I feel so horrible for having gone a bought those other ducklings now for sure =([

 

[Miss Lydia]

Well, after thriving for two days, after being born alone and finding way out of nest to a place to be found, after surviving his mom nipping at him in rejection, Harry is exhibiting the same symptoms of the two babies that I had bought to be his friends. He is lying, dying in my hand right now. I feel so horrible for having gone a bought those other ducklings now for sure =([

I am so sorry, you need to dif report this to who ever will listen and be sure to not wear your clothes or shoes around your other ducks/ducklings. So very sorry this has happened but you were just trying to help this baby, Not your fault at all.