EMERGENCY - wild ducklings

[ruthhope]

Oh, sorry, I didn't see your first post - I can see that what I said could be construed as arguing against what you said up there - totally isn't! And don't worry, I wont' be cuddling them

Having more than one is critical to raising them wild. I rescued a 1 or 2 day old duckling last summer -- it had been found in a rainstorm on its own in danger of being washed down a drain. The person who found it was a back yard chicken raiser and so took it home, but within 24 hours the duckling had not started eating and drinking, and collapsed. I resuscitated the wee mite and after perking up and being lively in the brooder, he again went limp, lying facing a corner, not eating and drinking. I recognized a sad lonely little duckling and had to get him out and hand feed him, and cuddle him. I was unable to find anyone with muscovy ducklings of less than a week old closer than 4 hours drive away: I was not driving 4 hour out and 4 hours back with a sick duckling in a box on my passenger seat. So Daffy was raised as a pet. He hadn't imprinted on me but he bonded tightly. Fortunately, with 2 mallards you should not get the sad lonely duckling problem!!! As Muscovy in Florida are not truly wild -- they are feral -- Daffy has no desire to leave home. He does now have a muscovy friend -- another drake of the same age rescued when waterlogged and drowning on a retention pond. He -- O Pato -- also shows no signs of wanting to leave home. O Pato can fly although he has not done for a couple of months.

The call of the wild for your mallards will be far stronger than for my feral muscovy!

 

[Miss Lydia]

Are you sure they aren't wood ducks @loofa

 

[MGG]

They're definitely wood duck ducklings. They're very hard to raise and won't start eating on their own without major help, and even then some don't start and just die. Please get them to a rehabber, the longer they go without eating the less chance they'll have of surviving. They need special food, and are illegal to have no matter what state you're in unless purchased legally from a licensed breeder.
If they were Mallards, they'd be easy to raise. But they're not.

 

[loofa]

Are you sure they aren't wood ducks @loofa

they could be wood duck ducklings, but at this stage mallard and wood duck babes look awful similar based on photos - we have so many more mallards here than wood ducks (and a pair that are nesting near by but aren't these one's parents) that I made an initial assumption but yeah, I'm also thinking they might be wood ducks.
......
I've found a rehab center that will take them - it's a couple of hours away, but our local center would likely just euthanize them. Hopefully they will make it there. I could rehab them myself as I've done a lot of that (asking for guidance doesn't mean not having the skills - sometimes we just need to know stuff like, is this a bird that likely needs tube feeding, or my question about imprinting - etc) but I would rather not - as cute as they are, I'm very time crunched these days and my own domestic ducks keep me busy enough

 

[MGG]

they could be wood duck ducklings, but at this stage mallard and wood duck babes look awful similar based on photos - we have so many more mallards here than wood ducks (and a pair that are nesting near by but aren't these one's parents) that I made an initial assumption but yeah, I'm also thinking they might be wood ducks.
......
I've found a rehab center that will take them - it's a couple of hours away, but our local center would likely just euthanize them. Hopefully they will make it there. I could rehab them myself as I've done a lot of that (asking for guidance doesn't mean not having the skills - sometimes we just need to know stuff like, is this a bird that likely needs tube feeding, or my question about imprinting - etc) but I would rather not - as cute as they are, I'm very time crunched these days and my own domestic ducks keep me busy enough

They're 100% baby wood ducks. I raise them. It takes a lot of work and dedication and even then, I lose quite a few. They're nothing like other ducks. They need to be fed a special feed formulated for them (it's expensive) and be hand fed chopped live meal worms to get them picking at feed. They usually need to be raised with another breed of duck that can teach them how to eat regular feed. It takes about a week of constant monitoring and encouraging to get them eating well.

They will also imprint and become tame if they're around humans. My one girl will come and jump on my lap begging for me to rub her face, and they'll all eat out of my hand.

I hope they do well, they sure are cute.

 

[ruthhope]

I'm so happy that you have found a rehab center that will take them

Thanks for reaching out and not taking your nearest rehab center as the only option

 

[loofa]

Okay, officially handed off - one of them didn't make it. The one that was found in cold mud, so I am not surprised (we did a lot to warm it up but alas, who knows how long it was stuck there). The other still seemed quite vital and will now be with other ducklings that they are rehabbing.

 

[ruthhope]

Thank you for caring about them and doing your best, @loofa

 

[Sarahbob44]

Having more than one is critical to raising them wild. I rescued a 1 or 2 day old duckling last summer -- it had been found in a rainstorm on its own in danger of being washed down a drain. The person who found it was a back yard chicken raiser and so took it home, but within 24 hours the duckling had not started eating and drinking, and collapsed. I resuscitated the wee mite and after perking up and being lively in the brooder, he again went limp, lying facing a corner, not eating and drinking. I recognized a sad lonely little duckling and had to get him out and hand feed him, and cuddle him. I was unable to find anyone with muscovy ducklings of less than a week old closer than 4 hours drive away: I was not driving 4 hour out and 4 hours back with a sick duckling in a box on my passenger seat. So Daffy was raised as a pet. He hadn't imprinted on me but he bonded tightly. Fortunately, with 2 mallards you should not get the sad lonely duckling problem!!! As Muscovy in Florida are not truly wild -- they are feral -- Daffy has no desire to leave home. He does now have a muscovy friend -- another drake of the same age rescued when waterlogged and drowning on a retention pond. He -- O Pato -- also shows no signs of wanting to leave home. O Pato can fly although he has not done for a couple of months.

The call of the wild for your mallards will be far stronger than for my feral muscovy!

We have found a duckling. Not sure how old. We have had for almost a week now. I’m doing the best I can with the little I know. And have read as much as I can. The second night we had the duckling it wasn’t doing so great but now seems to be doing better and actually eating. It wants to cuddle with me or hide under my hand. How did you know it’s a Muscovy duck?

 

[ruthhope]

We have found a duckling. Not sure how old. We have had for almost a week now. I’m doing the best I can with the little I know. And have read as much as I can. The second night we had the duckling it wasn’t doing so great but now seems to be doing better and actually eating. It wants to cuddle with me or hide under my hand. How did you know it’s a Muscovy duck?

Well I wasn't sure he was muscovy when I first found him but other folks who knew identified him