duck has hatched a chicken egg

[ejsmom]

Hi everyone,

I'm sorry about cross posting but I do consider this a very serious situation and have had no response from the incubating/hatching or raising chick forus. Hopefully this is the right place to post this. Our Call Duck, Emily, has sat on several nests....to no avail as we have no drake. This time, apparently one of our chickens contributed an egg to the nest.....and today Emily appeared with one small fuzzy chicken baby!! She is just thrilled with the baby but we are scared to death because we don't know if she can raise it. The chick is sticking very close to her and follows her all around the yard.

We do have a small duck pond and we already lost a chick (with a chicken mom) who fell in. We have since put up a small fence but Emily Duck can most likely push it over. In fact, by design we made it out of woven pvc so she could sort of walk through it and get into her pond. Now, of course, it's a true hazard. Emily took her baby right to the pond and they circled around and around. The chick has no interest....but I've been reading online and I'm afraid Emily will take matters into her own hand (or beak....) and deposit the chick in the pond. Obviously she has no idea that that would be harmful.

So.....my daughters and I caught the duck and the chick and put them into a rabbit hutch that is currently unoccupied. Emily was hysterical over the separation but sees to have calmed down now they they are together again.

I guess my question is....if I keep them away from water, can Emily raise this chick successfully? I truly hate to take the chick from her. She quacked her head off for weeks when her fellow ducks met an untimely end a couple of years ago and has sort of settled in to being a quasi-chicken. She seems totally thrilled with this chick. On the other hand, I hate to just hand the chick's life over to happenstance and one of my daughters wants to raise it if Emily can't. I have two hens with chicks and I'm sure they won't take on the newcomer so it's Emily or a box and a heat lamp.....

What do you all think??? Thanks for your help....

Tonya

 

[PunkinPeep]

Emily is so sweet!

I wouldn't want to take the chick away either.

I have no idea about the answer to your question, but i know someone here does.

I just wanted to tell you i'm rooting for Emily.

 

[MandyH]

Beware!! That duck will take that chick into the pond, and no more chick. It's just instinct, so you better get that chick now before she takes it for a swim.

 

[threehorses]

Yep, she needs to be a chicken, not a duck.

That's so cute!

She'll need medicated chick starter (you can buy small bags at the feedstore - ask them for feed by the pound if you don't see it on the shelf) for her for sure. Then the usual warmth, a drinker she can't drown in, etc.

I'm a little surprised she hatched as ducks bring a lot of water back to the nest. But hey - it's pretty sweet.

 

[Wifezilla]

I answered on the other thread. Since you took them away from the pond, there is no reason to separate them.