HELP WITH RESCUED BABY DUCKS

[Kyn Garcia]

I rescued 5 baby ducks that were stuck in my aunts swimming pool… do I need to worry about them giving my flock of chickens anything because they come from the wild? Do they need a heat lamp? What all do I need to know to keep them healthy until they are able to be released back into the wild when they are old enough to take care of themselves?? Or is that going to even be possible?

 

[fowltemptress]

Are you sure the parents are gone? If you can put the ducklings in a secure area next to the pool area and wait to see if the parents come to get them you'd be able to release them back to their mom and save yourself some steps.

 

[nuthatched]

You need to contact game and fish. Do not put them anywhere your chickens.

 

[nao57]

OK. those are too many and too healthy for the mama duck to be gone. She might have just gone searching for food. I'd check that area and watch to see if she shows up. You might see a stressed out duck there.

DON'T contact fish and game. Honestly that's unnecessary. Those people also have no give and take. The minute you talk to them you will have NO RIGHTS, and NO SAY in what's best for the birds.

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Also wild birds can be better health than your normal birds because they've been eating healthy, and chemical free. There's no reason you can't mix these with your own birds.

HOWEVER<... there could be pecking order issues. I generally don't mix new chicks with adult birds, especially with no mama bird or no broody hen to watch over them. You want to probably keep them separate until they are old enough to help themselves.

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These are probably some kind of wood duck species? I know mallard duck species and those don't match mallard colors that I know of.

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Duck protein needs are fairly similar to chickens. So you can take care of them. It will be just a tiny bit higher protein needs for ducks and various duck species. There's no reason you can't work this out. but those are VERY young, they look like maybe barely a week old(?) I'm guessing. Just keep them fed with protein and a bit of vegetable matter in the feed, shoot for slightly higher than chicken feeds on the protein level. And you'll be fine. They have good instincts for what is and isn't food already when born.

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Also another reason to not contact government agencies, is that its just not necessary. And right now the animal control and animal shelters are overflowing with too many abandoned pets and other animals. That means they'll have to euthanize more than normal when the time limit hits for how long they take care of them. Government isn't always the answer when you can take care of them yourself with better quality of care.

 

[Jenbirdee]

Yeah you really can’t keep them You should call a wildlife rescue it’s actually illegal to try to keep them even if you intent to release.

 

[MGG]

I rescued 5 baby ducks that were stuck in my aunts swimming pool… do I need to worry about them giving my flock of chickens anything because they come from the wild? Do they need a heat lamp? What all do I need to know to keep them healthy until they are able to be released back into the wild when they are old enough to take care of themselves?? Or is that going to even be possible? View attachment 3611322

Those are baby black bellied whistling ducks, if they were in a swimming pool they probably hatched nearby and jumped into it if it's tall. Are there any trees with cavities near it? Or wood duck boxes? Whistling ducks are cavity nesters.
They're tricky to get to start eating so I'd either get them to a rescue or order some Mazuri exotic gamebird starter and get them started on that. They can also be given live mealworms to get interest in eating.
Keep them away from your other birds, because your birds can actually make them sick. Wild ducklings are usually pretty healthy and wouldn't be carrying anything that your birds wouldn't have been exposed to by other passing-by wild birds already.
Also, put them in a plastic tote with a heat lamp that they can get away from, a typical chick brooder. Do not use cardboard, they can climb it with their sharp nails. Use paper towels or regular towels as bedding, and use a water dish they can't bathe in. You want them to stay dry this young. Then sprinkle starter on the towel in a corner or toss in a few live mealworms.

 

[Miss Lydia]

I like the idea of setting them out by the pool to see if mama is still around a wire dog crate would work then she can see them.

 

[9ducksinacardigan]

I rescued 5 baby ducks that were stuck in my aunts swimming pool… do I need to worry about them giving my flock of chickens anything because they come from the wild? Do they need a heat lamp? What all do I need to know to keep them healthy until they are able to be released back into the wild when they are old enough to take care of themselves?? Or is that going to even be possible? View attachment 3611322

these are black bellied whistling ducklings. they are very tiny and can walk through chainlink fences as if theyre not even there so be careful. they also climb walls. i’d recommend to put them in an enclosure that they cannot climb out of or sneak out of. continue using a heat lamp for them; they look maybe about a couple days old from the photo but its hard to tell. make sure u dont take them before you fully know that theyre mama is completely gone, go look for nests and wait for any signs of the ducks flying around. sometimes something can spook the mama and she’ll take off for safety and accidentally leave the babies behind in the process, she should return once she knows its safe usually 30 minutes to an hour later

 

[Kyn Garcia]

Yeah you really can’t keep them You should call a wildlife rescue it’s actually illegal to try to keep them even if you intent to release.

Yes I got in touch with a wildlife rescuer and met her the next day. They are all thriving and doing well so far! I had no idea it was illegal until I started researching someone to take care of them but I was so happy to find someone to take them.

 

[Kyn Garcia]

these are black bellied whistling ducklings. they are very tiny and can walk through chainlink fences as if theyre not even there so be careful. they also climb walls. i’d recommend to put them in an enclosure that they cannot climb out of or sneak out of. continue using a heat lamp for them; they look maybe about a couple days old from the photo but its hard to tell. make sure u dont take them before you fully know that theyre mama is completely gone, go look for nests and wait for any signs of the ducks flying around. sometimes something can spook the mama and she’ll take off for safety and accidentally leave the babies behind in the process, she should return once she knows its safe usually 30 minutes to an hour later

I found a rescuer for them the next day. I talk to her yesterday and they are all thriving, eating and drinking.