Failure to Launch

QuackedUp

Chirping
7 Years
Jun 22, 2012
133
1
71
I have 3 Mallard ducklings that are about 10 weeks old. They hatched in my kindergarten classroom and, of course, ended up at my house. I am their "mommy" duck.

2 have started flying around the yard, using flight as a short cut between short distances. These 2 ducklings have been practicing their flying skills for around 3 weeks now and their flying skills are growing stronger each day.

But, then there is duckling number 3: "Patito" (it means "duck" in Spanish -- he was 'hatched' during Spanish class at school). Poor Patito can't seem to lift off the ground. He had a slight case of Angel Wing that has seemed to improved greatly after just a couple of tapings by the vet (Duck-Tape! Ha!). :) Although his wing joint has straightened out nicely, he does still have several feathers on that same wing that do appear to have grown in crooked.

When the other two ducks fly around the pasture, poor Patito just runs as fast as his little legs will take him and he flaps his wings as hard as he can..... but he never gets off the ground... not even a couple of inches or a short glide.

Today the 3 ducklings had climbed the long set of brick steps up to the front of my home. When it was dinner time we headed toward the barn. 2 of the ducklings flew off the steps and to me in the driveway. Patito, however, leaped off the steps and took about a 6 foot tumble down onto the bottom steps. I am worried he will end up hurting himself.

My question: At about 10-weeks of age, is Patito supposed to be flying like the other 2 ducks? Is he "delayed?" Is he a "special student?"

I love my 3 ducklings…. But I don’t know anything about ducks….
 
Congratulations on your ducks!

Sounds like Patito may not be able to fly, and ya know, that may not be all bad. I understand the cringing from lousy landings, though. Michele Buff flew straight into a fencepost the other day. OOF! Gasp! And immediately afterward gave the "I'm okay" wing flap. Shew.

(Sensitivity alert . . . a friend lost her entire flock just a few weeks ago so here comes my concern) What kind of shelter do the ducks have to protect them from predators?
 
Yikes! The entire flock! That is not good at all!
I live in 4 and 1/2 acres. About 1 and ½ acres of that is wooded. The wooded area consists of the yard area where the house sits. The remainder of the property is grazing pasture for my 2 horses.
During the day, the ducks hang out around the house under the trees. They mostly hang out in their baby pool on the back porch or nibble in the yard close to the house. They don’t seem to want to come out from under the cover of the trees on their own. The yard is not fenced.
At night, I put the 3 ducks up in the barn with the horses. They have their own stall. I close both the top and bottom exterior doors to the stall at night. Residing in the barn with them at night is our miniature horse that stays in his stall at night, our quarter horse who hangs out just outside the barn at night, and the barn cat. Our 2 dogs also stay out at night and often venture down by the barn chasing opossums and such. I hope that the dogs are a deterrent for wondering predators. I try to keep some fragments of horse manure in the stall as well as cedar shavings to disguise the scent of the ducks.
Again, however, there is not much shelter from predators during the day, except the house and dogs themselves here in the yard. The dogs are pretty good hunters and do seem to keep the raccoons away from the house though.


What do you think?
 
Eagle took (well killed and left) one of my drakes yesterday. They had no cover in their day run. Covered run for hens.....should have had one for drakes, but have been losing that argument since last September. If you have the option, save yourself some grief, fence and cover unless you are outside with them. Saves a horrible experience - and lots of guilt for not protecting them better.
 
P.S. What happened to her flock? What got them?


Also - I used to raise guinea pigs --- it was an accidental endeavor. J Because my numbers grew we ended up moving the little piggies to the barn stall. Inside the stall sat a 6 feet by 4 feet custom made guinea pig cage. We would rotate monthly: one month the girls would run around the stall while the boys lived in the cage, then vice versa… Anyways… The guinea pigs lived out in the stall for many years and we didn’t have any trouble with predators getting them. I think the predators tend to go for prey they can readily see, rather than prey that is kept out of sight… or at least I HOPE!
 
Well, my neighbor wants the ducks to live right behind her house at her pond. I figure the pond will offer more protection. But, I can’t seem to get them into the water. The last time I took them over there, they wouldn’t come out of the wooded area at the edge of the pond – they were hiding in the brush with their mouths open as if they were very nervous. I think my ducks have some kind of complex. Ha!
 
My friend's flock was killed by a raccoon that got in by climbing up the chain link fence and ripping away plastic "hardware cloth."
 
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My friend's flock was killed by a raccoon that got in by climbing up the chain link fence and ripping away plastic "hardware cloth."
Oh that is not good at all! Poor duckies and poor friend! I can't believe it killed the entire flock! How hungry can 1 raccoon be? Jeez that is so sad!
 
Well, my neighbor wants the ducks to live right behind her house at her pond. I figure the pond will offer more protection. But, I can’t seem to get them into the water. The last time I took them over there, they wouldn’t come out of the wooded area at the edge of the pond – they were hiding in the brush with their mouths open as if they were very nervous. I think my ducks have some kind of complex. Ha!
Nope no complex just in bred ability to know there are things out there that want to eat them, on the ground in the sky and in the water.
 

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