Help me tame my mallard duckling?

[liana34900]

I found a mallard duckling.. its mother has been run-over by a car.

i have it in a box with some grass, fine hay and a wooly beanie to sleep on. it is in the sun. i will get a heater beside t at night.
I have mushed chicken feed up with water and put it in the box..

it is really scared of people and runs away.. it likes to be huddled up n the beanie. but when i left it for 10 minutes and came back it was drinking from the water dish i gave it.

i want it to imprint on me and think im its mother.. and just trust me!

this is legal in new zealand.. and we have a large pond.. we own a farm.

 

[Amiga]

It takes time and patience, if there are no legal problems where you are, that's good.

I would get a poultry vitamin with electrolytes and probiotics, and wash my hands after handling the little until I was sure there were no parasites or anything of concern. No need to be scared, just cautious especially initially.

At first, the little is rightfully frightened. So spending time near it, not hovering above it like a predator, singing quietly, just being around it moving slowly will help. You may find it likes treats, check the sticky about treats and be careful since not all treats are okay for littles.

I might just use old towels for bedding - less likely to mold. Mold is a problem for ducklings - and ducks.

There is also a sticky on raising ducklings. I think it's really good.

Welcome to the Duck Forum!

Here is the link to the stickies
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/256233/ducks-sticky-topics-index

 

[denise91]

Ooh! I'm going to tell a story, I hope you don't mind! It's relevant to what you're going through so I hope it will help!

I saved a day old duckling from a cat last summer and raising him was one of the greatest experiences I've ever had. He was very upset for the first couple days but I just kept holding him and talking to him and he fell in love with my pretty quickly. I originally kept him in a large box with a towel in the bottom. Ducklings are extremely messy so the towel needed to be changed several times a day. He mostly only stayed in the box at night because I held him all day long. He loved to tuck himself under my chin and sleep. Once I was comfortable that he would follow me around, I took him outside to exercise him. I'd let him swim every day in the tub then we'd play outside in the yard. When I knew that he wouldn't leave my side for anything I took him to the beach. I have never seen a duck have more fun than mine did on our beach trips. By then he was getting too big for the box so I began to wean him off me. I put him in with my chickens and they got along pretty well; he even became best friends with my rooster.

Then fall came and he flew off one day. I wasn't concerned because we had walked all up and down my neighborhood and if he wanted to come back he knew where home was. He came back a few days later then flew off again then came back again then flew off again for good. I could've clipped his wings but he was proving that he could take care of himself and I didn't want to trap him if he didn't want to be there. Then early this spring I noticed a mallard in my yard. He had a female with him. They wouldn't let me approach but they stayed for about a week. It might not have been him but I like to think it was. I like to think that we had our amazing time together but he was still able to become the wild duck he was supposed to be.

I hope your experience with your duck is as special as mine was. I wish you all the luck!

And since I'm feeling nostalgic here's some pictures as well!

Our second day together:

And our last: