Help! Found some baby ducks!

[Roofless]

I'm guessing just a few days old. I have chickens, plus facilities for baby chicks, but I've never raised a duck before.

Need info on care/feeding FAST! Links appreciated.

Here's a pic:

 

[katharinad]

First of all the mother may be near, but hiding. Second it is illegal to take in wild animals. You should call the fish and wildlife agency near you. Otherwise there is tons of info in this forum for brooding them.

 

[can you hear me now?]

Keep them fed a gamebird feed. As for raising raise like chicks only you can keep some water around after they have grown a bit because they love to swim. The feed needs to be non medicated. They will also grow like weeds and eat more than baby chicks. They eat more like corning cross or meat birds.hope this helps.

 

[chooniecat]

SUPERVISED swimming only. otherwise they can drown as they don't yet produce enough oil to keep feathers/fuzz water resistant.

 

[duckluv]

Need some non-medicated feed, no bread AT ALL, very messy, cute! Where did you find it? Better without a red heat lamp as those explode if wet.

 

[Roofless]

Quote:
Strangest thing. Found them by my office, which is nowhere near a stream.

 

[Bleenie]

Why don't I ever find anything that cute?????
Everyone has given very good advice so far!.... Supervised swimming, need a heat light & non-medicated feed.

 

[~*Sweet Cheeks*~]

Get a bunch of puppy pads for the brooder and just peel off the dirty one. They have lots of runny poo and the pads are good at absorbing the wetness.

Good luck with the little ones.

 

[ejctm]

Quote:
Strangest thing. Found them by my office, which is nowhere near a stream.

The mother will set up her nest often quite a long way from water. When they are a few days old she will lead them to the water. She was probably nearby when you found them. Ducks are amazing at finding very secret hiding places for their nests. Is there any chance you could go back and search for the nest? She might still be there with the rest of the brood and you can try and put them back? Mother ducks cannot count! If she is long gone, then advice from your local animal rescue is a good idea. There might be legal restrictions on you keeping them.

If you do end up raising them, then you should remember that they are wild ducks, and they will not really settle down to domestic life like a domesticated duck breed will. They will naturally be much more afraid of humans and difficult to tame, and harbour a "wanderlust" and you should allow them to fly off when they are ready. They will need to be with their own kind, to breed, or migrate or whatever they naturally do. You never know, they might come back to visit! Just my thoughts and I write from experience!

 

[pirtykitty]

They are black bellied whistling tree ducks.. They are raise by both parents. I fed mine Layena crumbles till I could get some game bird.. No medicated feed. At 3 weeks I started introducing some mazuri waterfowl maintence floated in water till I was sure they wouldn't choke.. . I also gave them chopped romaine lettuce floated in water, . They also loved worms , sow bugs, ( rolly pollys) .. as they got bigger they could also eat tiny snails.. I'd go out in the morning and swat them some flys too and float those in water. You can also cut up grass for them and float in wate they like st, augustine and bermuda grass..

Mom and dad Blk bellied tree ducks leave them at 6 weeks and the babies can fly by 8 to 10 week.