Hand Feeding Ducks?

[mrshaggie810]

I asked this some where but I can't find the post for the life of me now...so I have 2 ducklings that are 3.5 weeks old now. They have only bit me once and occassionally nipped the kids, but not much, but my husband was caring for them while I was at homeschool camp with the kids, and he said they kept biting them....someone gave me the suggestion of feeding them frozen peas to help them "warm up" to me...but I was wondering...can I hold some peas in my hand for them to eat, and if I do, what is the correct way to hold my hand so that they are least likely to bite me in the process.

 

[HauiBali]

Dear MrsHaggie,

try to form a tunnel from your palm and fingers while holding the treats inside. I use to show the food on open palm, then I feed them from the tunnel - ducks will dig their beaks in. It works for me as a method to catch them without too much stress: just tighten the "tunnel", beak is locked, and with your other hand it is more easy to get a hold on the bird. However I do it only when it is necessary as they can grow cautious if this method is abused.

I did not found their nipping uncomfortable, and my daughters laughed at it too when the fed the ducks from hand.
Geese can make serious bites with their jagged beak-sides, but we don't have any, just heard it.

 

[PeanutnCashew]

I dont think they are actually "biting" ..its their only way to "feel" like we do with our hands.

I have hand fed mine since day one and we just held our hand out open at their level with food in palm. If I sit with mine and they come peck on me, I think its their way of communicating love.

 

[mrshaggie810]

I dont think they are actually "biting" ..its their only way to "feel" like we do with our hands.

I have hand fed mine since day one and we just held our hand out open at their level with food in palm. If I sit with mine and they come peck on me, I think its their way of communicating love.

It doesn't really hurt, but I am not super comfortable and familiar with birds yet, and I don't want to encourage it because I have heard it can hurt when they get older and I don't want them biting my kids causing pain...they do seem to do it out of curiousity though sometimes, so what you are saying makes sense. Thanks!

 

[Oregon Blues]

Hand feeding poultry is not a good idea. Set the treats down on the ground and let them pick the treats up.

Spoiling ducks and treating them like pets and not like ducks can cause them to be confused about their identity and it can result in behavior issues when the duck reaches adult age. It's not so much the biting as it is teaching the duck that he is socially your superior. That is never a good idea.

 

[mrshaggie810]

Hand feeding poultry is not a good idea. Set the treats down on the ground and let them pick the treats up.

Spoiling ducks and treating them like pets and not like ducks can cause them to be confused about their identity and it can result in behavior issues when the duck reaches adult age. It's not so much the biting as it is teaching the duck that he is socially your superior. That is never a good idea.

That's exactly what I'm afraid of. Honestly, I'm not all about pampering and spoiling them like pets, I just want them to be friendly enough that I don't have to worry about them going after one of the kids and biting them, especially since they are going to be helping with the cleaning, feeding, and watering. So then, what do I need to do to accomplish that.

 

[jenniealice]

That's exactly what I'm afraid of. Honestly, I'm not all about pampering and spoiling them like pets, I just want them to be friendly enough that I don't have to worry about them going after one of the kids and biting them, especially since they are going to be helping with the cleaning, feeding, and watering. So then, what do I need to do to accomplish that.

It all depends on how they were raised from the get-go. I have three "types" of ducks as far as how they were raised. Here are the pros and cons as per your questions: a) will they be friendly and to what degree b) will they go after the kids and bite them

Keep in mind that breeds, males and females can be very different. I don't have enough experience with female ducks to know if they can be aggressive, but males most certainly can.

The window of opportunity for the ducks to "think they are humans" has passed--imprinting happens when a duck first hatches, and even then, if there are other ducklings hatching they will imprint on each other if there is no mother duck present. I have three pekin males who "saw me first" through the incubator window. They are happy with one another throughout the day, but when I come out it's "She's here! She's here!" and run up to get my attention. The oldest will ignore feeding time to pull on my pant leg. I greatly enjoy how friendly they are; they will range and have fun if I let them out, but always come over to see what I'm doing --but--
Though they all seem to look identical (not to me), in fact they are not. Their personalities extend into how hard they nip--one can cause blood blisters, one doesn't open his mouth (pushes his beak at you, but hard), and one has a laughable nibble that doesn't hurt even if he's trying to. It is my experience that nibbles and biting depend entirely on the duck. No amount of "No Skin!" and tapping on top of the beak and head with my hand like a beak (according to The Goose's Mother's book) has changed the behavior of the hardest biter; I believe he truly doesn't think he's hurting me, as he will sit comfortably on my lap with a very firm hold on my finger, chewing now and again (not a sexual thing for him, by the way). I swear he's smiling when he does this.
a) friendly b) will most certainly bite

I also have a rescue duck that was dumped at our local pond. She is the least friendly and can bite exceptionally hard, but only when held. Again, it's the "I am going to hold your finger in my mouth and chew" thing. When not held, she avoids me in the yard. I don't know her history, but she acts like a duck (loves my boys), so I don't believe she was ever imprinted on a human. She will never come to me and be friendly on her own--only when it's feeding time does she come near, though she is becoming less and less nervous around people.
a) not friendly b) will only bite when held

In comparison, I have a fully imprinted duck who believes he is human. The rescue bird is his mother, but she squashed the eggs and I had to bring them into the incubator for hatching. Since he saw me first and was alone after the third day (sibling didn't make it), I am mom. He is the most wonderful companion animal I have ever had, and also the most work. I DO NOT recommend letting a a duck imprint on you or a child unless you: 1) never go on vacation 2) are home all day every day 3) don't mind being the "crazy duck lady/man" 4) have a significant other as crazy as you 5) couldn't imagine things any other way for the next 20 years as he is going to live that long.
a) loving and snuggly b) will bite other people if they are perceived as a threat or competition c) for some reason he's really good with kids

Good luck!

 

[Peeko]

I agree with jenniealice. It really depends on if you want pets or livestock, the breed, and the sex, in more ways than one.
We've fed our duck and drake from our hands since we got them as ducklings. He started chasing and biting now that he's fully grown "down there". It's not so much a dominance thing as him feeling like anything that approaches is a threat to the female and he gets defensive.
She is an absolute sweetheart, eats out of my hand regularly and has never bitten anyone or shown any aggression beyond chasing sparrows away from the pool.
I think it helps that I garden with them, so they are used to my hands going above and behind them and me being very near them. Sometimes I have to push them out of the way to get anything done, they get so excited looking for bugs my hands disturb from the soil. Sometimes a fingertip is mistaken for a worm, but it doesn't hurt.
I have found that balancing the treat on the tip of my index finger, then extending my hand out to them slowly at an angle downwards, helps them target the treat instead of missing and getting me on accident- might help you to determine if they are just really bad aims or if they are trying to bite you. They could also be competing with each other for food and getting all revved up because of it- if they are biting each other, too, this could be the problem. You could try feeding a treat to an individual duck, and see if it bites with no other stress factors around. Using the same container to hold treats in, so they can recognize it, helps them know you are feeding them now, and not trying to pick them up or worse.

 

[jak2002003]

Just how much harm can a duck do by biting anyone?

They have no teeth!

Never know anyone mauled by a duck

 

[mrshaggie810]

Thanks for all your help! I dont know what i did (or didnt do) but my ducks are perfect for what i wanted...they come close when i feed them, they never bite, they follow me if they wander too far and i have to go find them...they complain if i have to catch them and pick them up, but they dont bite. my kids can help without being scared (which is why i was concerned about yhe bitibg, not the actual ouch factor.)