I have no idea what I am doing

[mobius]

Make sure it has some water in a little cup to drink from, the water is SO important to keep them hydrated. Great you have some food nearby, I will also wait on others more experienced. Good call on the shredded paper for now! i was wishing you could get some electrolytes in the water...a cup of water to 1/4 tsp each of salt, sugar and baking soda for now in a pinch...others pls correct me if i am wrong. Plan on a trip to the pet store shortly...for pine shavings, duck food, grit, maybe a waterer. Give it a little stuffy toy to snuggle with. Have you ever had chickens or ducks or birds as pets?

Also a pic next to a coke can or dollar bill or something to get an idea of size? I think that might help! it does look very young, a few days old only?

 

[A.Coarsey]

I can show the size in comparison to my hand lol and I have raised chickens before. I am going on a cruise Monday and will be having a friend watch it for me which has me nervous

Make sure it has some water in a little cup to drink from, the water is SO important to keep them hydrated. Great you have some food nearby, I will also wait on others more experienced. Good call on the shredded paper for now! i was wishing you could get some electrolytes in the water...a cup of water to 1/4 tsp each of salt, sugar and baking soda for now in a pinch...others pls correct me if i am wrong. Plan on a trip to the pet store shortly...for pine shavings, duck food, grit, maybe a waterer. Give it a little stuffy toy to snuggle with. Have you ever had chickens or ducks or birds as pets?

Also a pic next to a coke can or dollar bill or something to get an idea of size? I think that might help! it does look very young, a few days old only?

 

[mobius]

So it looks about the size of your hand..very good...glad you have raised chickens before! How long will you be gone? If you can get supplies for your friend and have your friend set up he or she can sure post to this forum to get help. Also, is the duckling warm enough do you think? e.g. heating pad on low could be used if not? I just don't know....is it active and running around or curled up? If you have cream of wheat or grits could you try feeding that for this evening? Cooked and lukewarm of course?

 

[A.Coarsey]

So it looks about the size of your hand..very good...glad you have raised chickens before! How long will you be gone? If you can get supplies for your friend and have your friend set up he or she can sure post to this forum to get help. Also, is the duckling warm enough do you think? e.g. heating pad on low could be used if not? I just don't know....is it active and running around or curled up? If you have cream of wheat or grits could you try feeding that for this evening? Cooked and lukewarm of course?

The duck is very warm on its own, when I put it down he runs around like crazy! LOL I don't know if it has eaten or drank yet but I know its nervous. It was soaking wet and raining on it when I found it so made sure I dried him up. I just want to know what the best feed is I can get and it needs constant access to water right? It sounds stupid but I dont want it to drown lol Maybe I can type up a list and reference this site for my friend as well, she has fostered wild baby birds and squirrels so I am not too worried

 

[A.Coarsey]

Also is it normal for him to keep trying to hide his head????

 

[Fire Ant Farm]

The duck is very warm on its own, when I put it down he runs around like crazy! LOL I don't know if it has eaten or drank yet but I know its nervous. It was soaking wet and raining on it when I found it so made sure I dried him up. I just want to know what the best feed is I can get and it needs constant access to water right? It sounds stupid but I dont want it to drown lol Maybe I can type up a list and reference this site for my friend as well, she has fostered wild baby birds and squirrels so I am not too worried

I'm sure someone will post with more info, but I know I can't get duck food easily, so if it's the same for you, I think you can use a high protein chick starter as long as you sprinkle brewers yeast on it (for the additional niacin that they must have). There are ways to create a waterer out of a plastic container or milk jug so they can get their head in but they can't get their body in and make a mess. Many folks put both food and water over a grid (a bakers cooling rack on a support) over a pan or other arrangement to keep the mess down. I've also read to use pine pellets (sold as horse stall bedding to cat litter) as bedding because they are so absorbent.

There is a good thread on ducking care. (I read it a while back when I thought I was getting ducks - I didn't get them, at least not yet.) I'm looking for it...

I don't know about his head. He might be frightened or chilly. (Someone else may pop by with a better idea.) Do you have a heating pad you could use in there for him? Some ideas are here:

Mama Heating Pad in the Brooder (Picture Heavy) - UPDATE

(Waiting until a duck person shows up to help. @BantyChooks @DwayneNLiz )

- Ant Farm

 

[Fire Ant Farm]

Here's the thread - LOTS of good info on duckling care. You can probably do a bit of a read through the initial info to get a sense of what to set up, etc., before leaving town.

Raising and caring for ducklings

- Ant Farm

 

[A.Coarsey]

Thanks so much! And hes in a plastic bin on my back porch, its very warm outside an i have checked up on him every hour or so, hes staying very very warm. I do live near Petco so i can get waterer and feeder from there, they may have duck food, if not I will look elsewhere.

 

[Fire Ant Farm]

Thanks so much! And hes in a plastic bin on my back porch, its very warm outside an i have checked up on him every hour or so, hes staying very very warm. I do live near Petco so i can get waterer and feeder from there, they may have duck food, if not I will look elsewhere.

Is your porch enclosed/predator-proof? If not, you will want to bring him indoors (bathtub?)or in a garage or something.

The waterer you get at Petco will probably not cut it for a duckling (I actually have yet to see any commercially available duckling waterers - everyone seems to make them - though someone may correct me) and you can make one easily with a pair of scissors and an old plastic tub or milk carton - look at the photos you find on BYC or Google "duckling waterer", you can rig something that's better for him (they need to be able to submerge their nostrils in water, but need to be prevented from making a giant mess of it or climbing in), and as for a feeder, you can probably just find something in the kitchen or garage to use.

 

[A.Coarsey]

I can get chicken starter that says its safe for ducklings and geese from the tractor supply store along with waterer and feeders, I need to add niacin though??? How much? And yes my porch is fully enclosed.