Found Wild Mallard egg on sidewalk!

[Dagmarvelous]

A friend of mine found a mallard egg on the sidewalk near the pond in her community. The maintenance crew wanted to throw it away, but she grabbed it. Now it's under my broody hen. (Ugh!) Not sure if it's even viable, so this may be a moot point. But if so, what do I do if it hatches? I don't want it, so how do I get it to fly away once old enough (and will it ever?!). I'm in California, is it even legal? Anything special I need to know?

Thanks in advance for all your comments, whether positive or negative!

 

[Pyxis]

No, it's not legal to have it. If you don't want it, take it away from your hen and throw it out. It would likely fly away when it got older, but having not been taught by a wild mother duck how to find food or avoid predators, it would quickly be killed or starve to death.

Not to mention it could be carrying diseases that can affect your birds. Some diseases pass from the mother to the baby through the egg and the babies hatch infected.

If you don't want to just throw it out, try to find a wildlife rehabber who can legally take it, hatch it, and raise it so that it can be released into the wild.

 

[Erka97]

I would hatch and raise it, but that's just me. I'm a rebel like that. I used to raise ducks all the time, and I suppose some would have been considered wild; they'd just land and join my flock and never leave again. I guess they like the free food, I raised any abandoned eggs just the same and have no idea why that would not be legal. It isn't as if they are endangered, and people do keep mallards.

Honestly I don't think ducks show their babies how to eat, they just do it by instinct. See water = filter water and mud for food. See plants =eat plants.
Predators are more of a problem, but that's the circle of life.

 

[lawman7]

It is not illegal to own mallard ducks or their eggs if you get them from a licensed breeder that has a federal permit to sell them. It is illegal to obtain wild mallard chicks or their eggs from the wild.. Hope that helps..