I'm a newbie mallard duckling mom now!

[prima808]

Hi! My name is Prima. At the end of April last month, I discovered a wild mallards nest in the bushes of our yard while gardening. There were 7 eggs in her clutch & she began incubating on April 30th. I placed a wireless cam by her nest & caught all her comings & goings. Everything was fine for a couple wks until a possum found the nest. It ended up eating 3 of the eggs & damaged a fourth. Ultimately the mother abandoned the nest as the possum kept coming back. I rescued & hatched the 3 remaining eggs successfully using my own DIY/homemade incubator & a lot of reference to the forums on this site. The members here are super helpful & I'm happy to be part of this community!

 

[DobieLover]

Hello, Prima, and welcome to BYC! Glad you joined.
What did you do with the wild Mallard ducklings?

 

[Pork Pie]

Hi and welcome to BYC. Chat with other BYC members nearby using the links in my signature, below (turn your phone to landscape to see them).

Make yourself at home and enjoy the forums.

Best wishes

Pork Pie

 

[rjohns39]

Hi and welcome to BYC We're so happy you've decided to join us

 

[Chick-N-Fun]

Welcome to our FUNomenal community!
We are delighted to have you here with us!

 

[prima808]

Hello, Prima, and welcome to BYC! Glad you joined.
What did you do with the wild Mallard ducklings?

I have them in a brooder I made with a plastic tote in my room. U went to Tractor Supply, bought a bunch of necessities (non-med starter crumble, brewers yeast, bedding, etc.) I can't seem to get them to figure out how to properly eat the crumble using water to wash it down. The just eat straight dry crumble. Should I make a mash for them to start?

 

[Sea Wolf]

You can make a wet mash for them. They will eventually go from food to water and back. That is when the real mess starts.

 

[prima808]

You can make a wet mash for them. They will eventually go from food to water and back. That is when the real mess starts.

thank you! So I've heard...Re: THE MESS! Lol
As I'm sure I'll have a lot, what's the best place to ask other questions, i.e. Chats? Or start a new thread in the forums?
Before I go tho, one more quick one of you don't mind- The ingredients in brewer's yeast I bought (from a country co-op & livestock feed store) seems to have other aadditives like calcium carbonate, "Enzyme pack", & Sodium Silico Aluminate...I assume the calcium carbonate would be fine, but the sodium silicon aluminate is an anti-caking agent? Do u know if these are safe for them? or would you suggest I try to find another pure brewers yeast instead?

 

[sourland]

Good morning, Prima, and welcome to BYC.

 

[neo71665]

It's a federal crime to take wild mallards unless you are a licensed wildlife rehabilitation.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Migra...it unlawful,listed therein as migratory birds.


That said you might want to calm down on telling people you took WILD mallards and just say you have some mallards.