Duck clueless

[angromig]

Hi! I'm totally new to this and didn't expect to find myself in a 'duck raising' situation. About 9 days ago I found two baby ducks crossing the street in front of my house. My neighbor found a third and brought it to me and another neighbor found one and kept it but it passed away that night. The duckling my neighbor brought to me was found several hours after the initial two and passed away the first night as well despite my best efforts. I've googled everything from brooders to feeds and I've gotten them this far so I guess I've been mostly successful. They've begun to grow little tail feathers and are active and bright eyed. Sooo...now what do I do? They're mallards (based upon my googling) and I believe they were 24 hrs old at most when I found them. I'm debating on what my next step should be. I think they're too young to be released especially with the amount of alligators in my area. Should I build them a pen and a pond? Could they survive a South Carolina winter outside in a coop? Should I buy duck diapers and keep them as indoor pets? Should I release them into the pond and hope they remember they're ducks and avoid predators? They certainly don't avoid our beagle and she seems to love them too. They scare our 3 year old mutt lol. Our cats are a concern but I don't think they would hurt them if they ducks attempt to defend themselves. Plus, I'm a stay at home mom of 4 so nothing much goes on without supervision here. I know I'm not asking anything straightforward and I'm all over the map but I'm asking for opinions of others. I want what's best for Soprano and Xindi (yes...I named them) but I also want to keep them safe. Thoughts? Opinions? Insight? Anything would be helpful. Thanks in advance! *picture is from a few days ago

 

[bydhatch]

...

Hi! I'm totally new to this and didn't expect to find myself in a 'duck raising' situation. About 9 days ago I found two baby ducks crossing the street in front of my house. My neighbor found a third and brought it to me and another neighbor found one and kept it but it passed away that night. The duckling my neighbor brought to me was found several hours after the initial two and passed away the first night as well despite my best efforts. I've googled everything from brooders to feeds and I've gotten them this far so I guess I've been mostly successful. They've begun to grow little tail feathers and are active and bright eyed. Sooo...now what do I do? They're mallards (based upon my googling) and I believe they were 24 hrs old at most when I found them. I'm debating on what my next step should be. I think they're too young to be released especially with the amount of alligators in my area. Should I build them a pen and a pond? Could they survive a South Carolina winter outside in a coop? Should I buy duck diapers and keep them as indoor pets? Should I release them into the pond and hope they remember they're ducks and avoid predators? They certainly don't avoid our beagle and she seems to love them too. They scare our 3 year old mutt lol. Our cats are a concern but I don't think they would hurt them if they ducks attempt to defend themselves. Plus, I'm a stay at home mom of 4 so nothing much goes on without supervision here. I know I'm not asking anything straightforward and I'm all over the map but I'm asking for opinions of others. I want what's best for Soprano and Xindi (yes...I named them) but I also want to keep them safe. Thoughts? Opinions? Insight? Anything would be helpful. Thanks in advance! *picture is from a few days ago

aww! Well congrats on your new babies! I am a first timer as well, hoping

To hatch some babies. Based on my research and findings: do not let them go yet if at all! They are too young to be waterproof in the water and not strong enough as babies to avoid predators on their own! Also, if they have bonded,or imprinted, on you they will trust you for food and care. Being in South Carolina, winters should be okay for them outdoors if you provide a way of them getting heat if they happen to get cold. I hope my limited knowledge can help!

 

[bydhatch]

@angromig Hmmm...my last post mixed in with yours.

Let's try this again..
aww! Well congrats on your new babies! I am a first timer as well, hoping

To hatch some babies. Based on my research and findings: do not let them go yet if at all! They are too young to be waterproof in the water and not strong enough as babies to avoid predators on their own! Also, if they have bonded,or imprinted, on you they will trust you for food and care. Being in South Carolina, winters should be okay for them outdoors if you provide a way of them getting heat if they happen to get cold. I hope my limited knowledge can help!

 

[Amiga]

There is a Migratory Bird Act - I would look into that, just so you know the legal climate.

Raising ducklings and releasing them puts them at huge risk. Rehabilitators know more about raising littles to be able to survive better once released.

There are domestic mallards, also. Domestic ducks need to be cared for their entire lives.