Heat Lamp in Summer

[tearose]

I greatly appreciate the help. Also, wanted to make sure it would eat since it's so brand new..probably 2 days old. Any pointers on that would be helpful!

 

[JadeComputerGal]

I greatly appreciate the help. Also, wanted to make sure it would eat since it's so brand new..probably 2 days old. Any pointers on that would be helpful!

It looks like you already have some sort of crumbles in there, but I don't see any water. Ducklings need to have water all the time, and it needs to be in a container they can't get into. This type of waterer is very inexpensive and very safe. The link is only for illustration since you don't need to buy these over the Internet. Feed stores and many pet stores sell them.
http://www.jefferspet.com/products/...NvhyZeJNrsOVzpiNoz2DxUXR14rVvVgzgkaAu1C8P8HAQ

Dip the duckling's bill into the water for one second, then pull it back up just a little. You'll know if it took a drink because it will tilt its head back a bit and swallow. If that doesn't happen, dip its bill twice more for one second each. I mean literally one second on those (count ten thousand one). You're introducing it to its water source, and it's not an emergency if it doesn't drink right then. Just set it down next to the waterer and do the above again a couple of hours later if you don't see it drink on its own during that time. If it drinks on its own, it should continue to do that unless it's ill or can't get to the waterer.

Please be very careful about your timing with the bill-dipping. You will drown it if you let panic take over and hold its bill underwater for too long to try to force it to drink.

 

[JadeComputerGal]

I greatly appreciate the help. Also, wanted to make sure it would eat since it's so brand new..probably 2 days old. Any pointers on that would be helpful!

I intentionally split this into two posts since water is the more important. Ducklings are actually fine without food for the first 3 days or so provided they had a normal hatch. I'm thinking you might not even know if this one did since you don't seem sure how old it is. Is this a duckling you bought or one you found?

After it starts drinking, you can do the bill-dipping thing into the food dish the same as with the waterer, except you of course don't have to worry about the drowning. You still don't want to just hold it in the food dish, just show them the food. I have mixed success with that, so what I usually do is sprinkle a few crumbles on a small area of the towel next to them. Ducklings that are healthy like to peck at things and will peck at any speck they see on the "ground," not even knowing if it's edible until they try it. Once mine pick up and actually eat a few crumbles from their towel, I almost never have trouble getting them to eat it from the dish.

 

[tearose]

I know for a fact it had to be born sometime between Sunday evening and Monday evening. It is brand new. I do have water in a peanut butter jar lid. It has drank some, and ate a little. But the food is chicken feed. Is there anything like bread or oatmeal I can feed it?

 

[tearose]

Can I feed the baby duck human baby food?? I saw a post in BYC that said mash up peas.

 

[jducour]

Chicken food will be better than baby food, I preferred to use non medicated chick starter, but something is better than nothing. Offer mashed peas (thawed frozen is the best) in water, shredded lettuce in water and those should be all the treats for now. Don't give bread, but I'm not sure about oats, maybe if they're soaked in water? See a theme here, lots of water!

 

[JadeComputerGal]

Can I feed the baby duck human baby food?? I saw a post in BYC that said mash up peas.

Many things that are okay for humans are fine for ducks, but not for ducklings. Mashed peas won't hurt it, but it can't live on that. Same with rolled oats, like the Quaker Oats they sell at grocery stores. (I'm not sure where you live.)

The best thing is duckling crumbles, but unmedicated chick crumbles are still better than just mashed anything. Those might need extra things added depending what food you get. You can let us know about that later so we can tell you what you should add.

Can you tell us how you got this duckling? It's not that it really matters, but I'm curious how you got it since it sounds like an orphan.

 

[tearose]

Great!! Thanks! Yes, doing good and have lots of poo so must be good. Thank you!

 

[JadeComputerGal]

Great!! Thanks! Yes, doing good and have lots of poo so must be good. Thank you!

Tearose, poo means they've eaten something. It doesn't mean it's something that's a good thing for ducklings to eat. Can you tell us where you are and how you got this duckling? It really would allow us to be more helpful.

 

[casportpony]

I would not give it lay crumbles for more than a day or two... way too much calcium.

-Kathy