How do I get rid of/reduce poop smell from Mallard ducklings outside house?

[DrBritt]

Hi all! I have 5 sweet ducklings + their mom, Emma who hang out outside my windows & it reeks now! I do feed them & they have water in 3 spots; a little bowl, paint pan & big bowl. Now that they are Emmas size, there is a lot of poo & it stinks! They should be flying soon, as they all have prominant blue showing. Last years babies flew & never came back but these guys are more "tame" & comfortable. Any suggestions to reduce the smell in the grass? I pick up what I can, but.... Lol. Thank you!!

 

[DrBritt]

Thank u! Emma just showed up randomly at my door last year, brought her babies from day 1 & came back this year. Only 3 made it last yr, and 5 so far this year. I'll move their water & feed them on the side of the house. They follow me where ever I go, even with my dogs. I want them to be scared of humans/dogs in the wild, but they trust me. Goofy little guys. They poop right outside the door cuz they hang out there looking for me.

 

[Willowspirit]

It is neat to know you care but it isn't strictly legal to feed them y'know. I am from so Cal though and i understand the desire to connect with nature in any way. Make sure they are getting duck food because ducks need extra niacin. Sweet PDZ is terrific and will work if you dig it in.

 

[DrBritt]

Aww, thank you. I just love animals & its so neat to watch them from fuzz balls to feathers. I try not to name em til they fly. They still walk across the busy street daily to the nest. I just panick if I hear car horns!

 

[Willowspirit]

So many people want to relocate ducks to the parks, not realizing that its so dangerous. We have to understand that they know better than we do, even if it seems crazy, lol.

I completely agree. And they dump them in parks too. Then feed them bread.

 

[DrBritt]

Here they are waiting for me to feed them, riiight under the window, lol!!

 

[DuckyDonna]

well, maybe you shouldn't feed them and they might just leave your window which would make things less smelly?

 

[Willowspirit]

No, we've got to figure out how to keep these ducks safe if we can plus it would help you out. I'm thinking about the DNR (department of natural resources) might help?

Yeah. In CA it's the case of "I'm from the government and I'm here to help...". run and hide... Since they are close to fledging I'd wait and see what happens. If f&g comes out they'll probably put them in the park they escaped from. But they probably would take them.

 

[DrBritt]

We have an amazing wild bird rescue here. They helped me last year after a drake hurt Emma & they kept going after the babies. I had them come "rescue" one of her abandoned babies this year. She left it in the pool.... But its OK now being rehabbed.

 

[DrBritt]

So many people want to relocate ducks to the parks, not realizing that its so dangerous. We have to understand that they know better than we do, even if it seems crazy, lol.