Help! Will mother mallard hen reject her ducklings??

[misscarianne]

My neighbor/friend has mallard ducks and one of her hens hatched 7 ducklings 5 days ago (last thursday). On the day they were hatched, 3 of the 7 ducklings fell into the pond and couldnt get out completely bc the water was low. Mother hen didn't help them. They were freezing and trembling, so my friend picked up the 3 in trouble and immediately put them into a brooder with a heat lamp to dry them and warm them. They are still there and doing well. They're eating and drinking. The other 4, who are still with mom are doing great, as well. My friend would love to release the other 3 back to mom to be with mom and siblings. She (mom) is doing a great job with the 4 ducklings that she still has. It's been cold for a couple nights and she kept them warm and safe. If the other 3 ducklings are released, will she take care of them, as well? Or will she reject them and let them freeze? (supposed to be cold again tonight) We would love for them to all be together, but we are afraid she may reject the 3 since it's been 5 days since they've been seperated.

 

[SouthernPride]

If your friend has full access to the duck and ducklings then she should introduced the 3 to momma with 100% supervision. If it goes bad then she just needs to pick them up and take them away. If this is mallard is domesticated then this should be fairly simple. But if we are talking wild Mallard then she really needs to seek out a wildlife rehabilitator. Also, momma ducks protect their young from predators as much as possible, and teach their ducklings by example. She would not have been able to help those that fell in the pond.

 

[misscarianne]

They are domesticated. Thanks for your help. Our idea was to try to reintroduce them tomorrow (after tonight's cold spell), and to see how she reacts. Sounds like we had the right idea. Thanks again for your input! I will let her know.

 

[SouthernPride]

Let us know how it goes.

 

[misscarianne]

I sure will. Thanks again.

 

[misscarianne]

We re-introduced the 3 babies to mom and the other four... They did well. They are all huddled together and staying together. We watched their behavior for a good 45 minutes to an hour. We think they'll all be fine and much better off with mom. My friend will keep an eye on them for the rest of the afternoon.