Just found a baby duck; need info ASAP

[Break an Egg]

It's tiny with black and yellow stripes on the head. Black body,legs, and feet, with 4 yellow spots on the back and yellowish on the chest. I found it walking through my neighbor's yard and it ran into the backyard. I asked my neighbor if I could go and get it. It doesn't seem to have any family anywhere near, but I asked my neigbor to keep an eye out.

I know they can eat chick starter, and I have plenty of it. Do I just give it water in a chick waterer? Do I need to put a bowl of water for it to get it.


Also, does anyone know what kind of duck it is? And should I keep it and let it be with my chickens, or not. Right now I have it in a brooder by itself.

 

[percyj]

U probably shouldn't put it in with chicks, baby waterfowl are very messy and they will get everything including the chicks wet.

a chick waterer should work, just make sure the duckling can't get in and make a mess.

 

[glenolam]

Sounds like a Rouen if it's domestic - Mallard if it's wild.

Chick starter is fine and is what I feed to my ducklings every year and have done so for years. Some people will tell you to make sure the starter isn't medicated as that can kill ducklings, others have said medicated won't kill them because there's not enough meds to do the deed. Personally, I don't feed medicated to my ducklings just in case.

If you have chicks in a brooder, that's fine. Or even if you have a hen who recently hatched or will hatch any day now - there's a slight possibility she'll accept the duckling, but it also depends on how old the duckling is. I wouldn't put it in the hen house with everyone else unless you put it in a cage inside the hen house; I've had many chickens kill the babies because they didn't want an intruder.

Best scenario - give it a friend, starter and water (chicken waterer is fine, too). If no friends are avaible, put it in a cage in the hen house so everyone can get used to eachother. Be sure to keep a heat lamp on the cage assuming it's still too young to be without.

Good luck! Sounds like you now need to go get another duckling!

 

[awesomefowl]

don't feed chick starter!!!! i read u should feed gamebird/turkey starter UNMEDICATED. sounds like a mallard to me. have fun, duckies are so cute!

 

[animalloverabh]

pictures please!

 

[glenolam]

Quote:
It will definitely make a mess, but there's no harm in putting it with the chicks. We have had chicks and ducklings live together for years and never had a problem (except the mess the ducklings made).

The only set back is the ducklings grow faster than the chicks, so at 3 weeks of age the ducklings were twice the size of the chicks.

 

[percyj]

My friend once had a baby chick and ducklings together and the duckies got the chick so wet the poor baby got sick!!!

 

[Break an Egg]

Quote:
I know I would have, I found my phone charger this morning chewed up by my dog

and of course I didn't charge my phone last night.

 

[animalloverabh]

Quote:
I know I would have, I found my phone charger this morning chewed up by my dog

and of course I didn't charge my phone last night.

oh dear lol, gonna have to get a new phone charger lol

 

[tinychicky]

i have no real hands-on experience with ducks, but it sounds like a wild mallard to me. if it still has baby fluff, keep an eye out for potential parents, but if none show up than you can either give the duckling to a wildlife rehabilitator or hand raise it. if you choose the latter, you will never be able to release it back into the wild. can you post a picture of the duckling, please? some of the "duck people" on byc may be able to help identify the breed.