Help with wild duckling please!!!!! (pics)

[tia]

Thanks Nettie - I put a little mirror in there and he is chirping at it. I'm hoping he will try the water and food. I've tried to get him to nibble some off my fingers and then find the dish like my runners did - no such luck yet. He has a light to keep him warm and a little bunny rabbit to snuggle with. Someone said he was probably a wood duck. I know we have quite a few of those around here, so that is probably it. I just hope he survives. I didn't know whether I should try feeding him with a dropper or not. But I guess the best is to let him discover the food with a little coaxing. I don't have starter food - but I will order some tomorrow. It will probably take a few days to get it here.

 

[nettie]

He does seem really tiny... maybe he recently hatched. recently hatched ducks don't start eating or drinking for a good 48 hours after hatching (they absorb their egg yolk before hatching). He seems to have the shape of a newly hatched duck.

 

[tia]

I agree he is very small. This woman found him in the airport walking around and she didn't know what to do with him. She knew I had ducks and she called me. She said she looked outside for the mother, but it is just a parking lot with no trees around for quite a distance.

 

[treldib]

Defnetly a Wood Duck then. The head shape is perfect for either Green-Winged Teal or Wood Duck. Make sure to dip it's bill in the water to make sure it knows where the water is, this is a general instruction when you first recieve day old birds from a hatchery. They also usually will eat and drink a bit on the first day as long as they know where it all is and are nice and toasty

 

[tia]

Yeah he is eating and drinking. He loves his little mirror and is all curled up sleeping next to his reflection. All I had is maintenance food tonight, but will try to borrow some starter food or chicken starter tomorrow until I can get an order of duck starter in. I hope he does good. My son said we don't have wood ducks here, so maybe he is that Green winged tail will work on finding out for sure.

 

[chicken boy sam]

Don't feed it MEDICATED chick starter......it's deadly for them....

 

[ScaredOfShadows]

here's a list of migratory waterfowl found in Alaska. Green Winged Teal are on the list :

http://alaska.fws.gov/mbsp/mbm/waterfowl/species.htm

 

[tia]

Thanks - that looks like what it is. I ordered food for it today, and a woman who raises chickens gave me non-medicated chick starter until it gets here. It should be here tomorrow. He is a lively little fellow, but I think very lonely - the mirror helped out a lot.

 

[J3172]

If you can put some other ducklings in with him, he'll do much better and be way calmer, good luck with it.

 

[percyj]

Maybe rouen cross?