Hooded merganser question

[pigcoon]

I have been poking around here today to see if this question has already been answered and haven't seen it.

We are raising an orphaned hooded merganser that was abandoned or lost to its mom back in May. The duckling is about six weeks old now and is doing well. Edited to add: I am working under the guidance of a license rehabber in my state. I tried very hard to turn the merganser over but because of avian flu, neither the rehabber near me, nor the official state center for bird rehab would take it in. They are letting lots of birds die this year, but I wasn't able to do that. But I am getting guidance from her at this stage.

Our intention was to release it into the wild, but there is some possibility that we may not be able to do that; as a single duckling, it may be a little too comfortable with us. I also cannot find any wild 'friends' to release it to, and I fear releasing it without friends nearby would not work (this would be in August when he's robust and fully feathered).

So I am concurrently thinking about how it would work if he can't be released and I've seen some of you have hooded mergansers.

I currently have two older Pekin females with a large tub. I'm not sure if they would integrate when s/he got a little bigger. Also their diets are completely different from one another, as the merganser needs fish, other crawfish type things, worms, etc. I"m not sure how i'd be able to tell the merganser was getting enough food and from the tub.....

If anyone has done this before, please send me your thoughts. I really and truly hope to release the merganser, but if we can't I don't want to build a whole separate pen if I can help it.

Thanks.

 

[MGG]

I have been poking around here today to see if this question has already been answered and haven't seen it.

We are raising an orphaned hooded merganser that was abandoned or lost to it's mom back in May. The duckling is about six weeks old now and is doing well.

Our intention was to release it into the wild, but there is some possibility that we may not be able to do that; as a single duckling, it may be a little too comfortable with us. I also cannot find any wild 'friends' to release it to, and I fear releasing it without friends nearby would not work (this would be in August when he's robust and fully feathered).

So I am concurrently thinking about how it would work if he can't be released and I've seen some of you have hooded mergansers.

I currently have two older Pekin females with a large tub. I'm not sure if they would integrate when s/he got a little bigger. Also their diets are completely different from one another, as the merganser needs fish, other crawfish type things, worms, etc. I"m not sure how i'd be able to tell the merganser was getting enough food and from the tub.....

If anyone has done this before, please send me your thoughts. I really and truly hope to release the merganser, but if we can't I don't want to build a whole separate pen if I can help it.

Thanks.

Hello! That's great you rescued him.
I would try turning him over to a rescue or wildlife rehabber. That would be his best chance. I would never ever put him in with your pekins, they'll have him dead in no time. Domestic ducks become very aggressive and territorial towards smaller, wild type species of ducks. The one domestics that can *sometimes* be in with wild species are call ducks. And even then, some of those can be aggressive too. If you can't find a rehabber to take him I guess I would just find a pond with other ducklings on it and release him there when he's a bit bigger.

 

[Wicked Storm]

You’ve done a great job at raising him!! Usually mergansers don’t even make it ESPECIALLY as singles, in all rehab centers. If you do keep him, I don’t think he’ll be fit for the wild, he’s quite old. What have you introduced him to that’s like the wild? And if you give it to a rehabber, make sure it’s a reputable one. I got into rehabbing because the ones around my area aren’t good at all I don’t think Mergansers usually foster unless they’re babies, could be wrong, they are known for fostering.

 

[pigcoon]

Hello! That's great you rescued him.
I would try turning him over to a rescue or wildlife rehabber. That would be his best chance. I would never ever put him in with your pekins, they'll have him dead in no time. Domestic ducks become very aggressive and territorial towards smaller, wild type species of ducks. The one domestics that can *sometimes* be in with wild species are call ducks. And even then, some of those can be aggressive too. If you can't find a rehabber to take him I guess I would just find a pond with other ducklings on it and release him there when he's a bit bigger.

That was my hunch about the Pekins, they are a bit intense.

I guess I'll keep working on this, there haven't been any easy answers, that's for sure. I edited my initial post to say that all the rehab facilities in my state, and private licensed rehabbers, declined to take this bird, due to avian flu. Even the premiere center that usually takes everything, won't let me release it on their beautiful pond/property, due to avian flu. So my choice was to let nature take it's course, or try my best under the local rehabbers guidance. We talk every week or so to check in on how the bird is doing, but she can't take it either.

 

[raingarden]

That's really neat. You're lucky to have it.

I'd be shopping for bulk frozen bait like silversides and bait shrimp. Start feeding him the bait as soon as he will take them. Once ya'll determine how much he is going to eat every day and work out a system you will probably be able to feed him in the pond. He can dive down to the bottom to retrieve any that get away..

Since he is eating dry feed now you could probably give him bait plus some dry feed. A good salmon farming pellet is mostly fish meal plus vitamins and minerals.

It's a valuable bird and deserves having his own custom-designed pen.

But, you really need guidance from somebody who has done this before.

 

[pigcoon]

That's really neat. You're lucky to have it.

I'd be shopping for bulk frozen bait like silversides and bait shrimp. Start feeding him the bait as soon as he will take them. Once ya'll determine how much he is going to eat every day and work out a system you will probably be able to feed him in the pond. He can dive down to the bottom to retrieve any that get away..

Since he is eating dry feed now you could probably give him bait plus some dry feed. A good salmon farming pellet is mostly fish meal plus vitamins and minerals.

It's a valuable bird and deserves having his own custom-designed pen.

But, you really need guidance from somebody who has done this before.

Thanks for your thoughts Raingarden. Even though we are lucky we found each other for his sake, I wasn't looking for a new project of that magnitude! lol. He's eating a mix of Mazuri Waterfowl feed and dried shrimp and mealworms. He was getting live mealworms but he didn't seem to care whether they were alive or dead. As he gets bigger he's going to need more like you are describing.

 

[Wicked Storm]

If you’d like to message me privately for any details you certainly can. I had a rehab project with a merganser this year who was also alone.

 

[pigcoon]

If you’d like to message me privately for any details you certainly can. I had a rehab project with a merganser this year who was also alone.

Yes I will do that. Thank you.