- Jan 14, 2010
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While tending to my ducks one damp and chilly evening earlier this week, I found the youngest duckling outside his pen...lying stretched out on the ground. 
"Oh great, he's dead," I thought, ruefully picking up his stiffening body... and then I noticed his neck was moving! Even though his pupils were dilated and unresponsive, I had hope for the little guy. I held him in my hand close to me and carried him inside the house. ( I was a bit leery of finding success in reviving him... the only other hypothermic baby fowl I've tried to save was a turkey poult. That had showed some signs of recovery before croaking.)
But, I had to try! I immersed the duckling in body temp water in the sink, carefully holding his head out of the water. He couldn't even float upright, but would flip over to his side if I didn't hold him properly. I rubbed him a bit too... in time he started trying to claw his way out! And he started floating upright! I proudly watched as the little guy started preening his back and swimming as a proper duck does.
We left him in a bit while so his body organs could recover. He sipped at the sink water, and when I took him out I offered him some duck grower crumbles which he greedily dabbled in. After drying him off, I held him against me for perhaps half an hour. (While my sister, looking at Mr. Brown Duck Baby's adorable fuzzy brown head, tried to convince me we wanted to keep him as a pet! INSIDE the house! I rejected her proposal... who wants to have a duck sharing their bed??
I put Mr. Duck Baby outside again. He was still alive the next morning and so on. So hopefully he stays inside his pen in future like a good little ducky. I don't need any more such close calls. 
"Oh great, he's dead," I thought, ruefully picking up his stiffening body... and then I noticed his neck was moving! Even though his pupils were dilated and unresponsive, I had hope for the little guy. I held him in my hand close to me and carried him inside the house. ( I was a bit leery of finding success in reviving him... the only other hypothermic baby fowl I've tried to save was a turkey poult. That had showed some signs of recovery before croaking.)But, I had to try! I immersed the duckling in body temp water in the sink, carefully holding his head out of the water. He couldn't even float upright, but would flip over to his side if I didn't hold him properly. I rubbed him a bit too... in time he started trying to claw his way out! And he started floating upright! I proudly watched as the little guy started preening his back and swimming as a proper duck does.
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