Naturalduck
Hatching
- May 4, 2020
- 2
- 2
- 5
This is a long post, but unusual circumstances...
We live on a large man made lake in the desert. We have geese, ducks, cormorants, and grey & white heron in the yard pretty much daily. There are also large fish & turtles in the lake but no marshy areas. We’ve formed a relationship with the ‘wild’ Indian Runner ducks over the past year or two; they visit the yard & run through the sprinkler or get hosed off in the summer but we don’t feed them.
A month ago the momma duck made a nest in some tall grass at our shoreline (the only grass like this around the lake). She produced 11 eggs then sat on them pretty much non-stop. Apparently this is sort of rare for Runners. We were very excited because they didn’t produce any young last year.
Unfortunately some if the eggs hatched and 5 of the babies got spooked and jumped into the lake without mom who refused to get off her nest & help. We had tried to make a ramp for them to get out of the water with a screen (the shoreline is man made & very high) but the water level was low and they wouldn’t go near it. Tried to get the neighbor to rescue them in his boat but they couldn’t be found
Luckily 2 more hatched. We gave them large shallow watering dishes near the nest area. This worked for the first day or two, but then momma jumped in the lake & the babies followed. They couldn’t get out. We tried all kinds of ramps etc. They were out there swimming for over 24-hrs. Once the hardware store opened we bought bricks and covered it in sod which made a duck staircase of sorts, so now they can get out and back to their nest. Another disaster avoided!?!?
Part of getting them to find this little duck stairway involved putting some duckling starter at the top. Now I’ve started giving them a mixture of duckling starter (high protein, non-treated) with small bits of leafy greens and a few chopped up mealworms scattered in the grass when the sprinklers come on at 0800 and at 1700 before they return to the nest each night. Here are my specific questions:
1.) They are still completely “free” ducks - I want them to find their own food like they’ve done for years - how do I supplement the babies to get them a little hardier without interfering too much and making them dependent on us? Should I stop feeding them? Feed them only once a day? Feed them more? (They always appear hungry and are starting to get more demanding every time we go into the yard). Should I just expect that they will catch enough bugs & natural things on their own?
2.) the adults (momma & 2 males) are also eating the ducklings food - will this high protein level harm them?
Any advice would be greatly appreciated. We want to help this duck family survive but first do no harm. Thanks in advance!
We live on a large man made lake in the desert. We have geese, ducks, cormorants, and grey & white heron in the yard pretty much daily. There are also large fish & turtles in the lake but no marshy areas. We’ve formed a relationship with the ‘wild’ Indian Runner ducks over the past year or two; they visit the yard & run through the sprinkler or get hosed off in the summer but we don’t feed them.
A month ago the momma duck made a nest in some tall grass at our shoreline (the only grass like this around the lake). She produced 11 eggs then sat on them pretty much non-stop. Apparently this is sort of rare for Runners. We were very excited because they didn’t produce any young last year.
Unfortunately some if the eggs hatched and 5 of the babies got spooked and jumped into the lake without mom who refused to get off her nest & help. We had tried to make a ramp for them to get out of the water with a screen (the shoreline is man made & very high) but the water level was low and they wouldn’t go near it. Tried to get the neighbor to rescue them in his boat but they couldn’t be found
Luckily 2 more hatched. We gave them large shallow watering dishes near the nest area. This worked for the first day or two, but then momma jumped in the lake & the babies followed. They couldn’t get out. We tried all kinds of ramps etc. They were out there swimming for over 24-hrs. Once the hardware store opened we bought bricks and covered it in sod which made a duck staircase of sorts, so now they can get out and back to their nest. Another disaster avoided!?!?
Part of getting them to find this little duck stairway involved putting some duckling starter at the top. Now I’ve started giving them a mixture of duckling starter (high protein, non-treated) with small bits of leafy greens and a few chopped up mealworms scattered in the grass when the sprinklers come on at 0800 and at 1700 before they return to the nest each night. Here are my specific questions:
1.) They are still completely “free” ducks - I want them to find their own food like they’ve done for years - how do I supplement the babies to get them a little hardier without interfering too much and making them dependent on us? Should I stop feeding them? Feed them only once a day? Feed them more? (They always appear hungry and are starting to get more demanding every time we go into the yard). Should I just expect that they will catch enough bugs & natural things on their own?
2.) the adults (momma & 2 males) are also eating the ducklings food - will this high protein level harm them?
Any advice would be greatly appreciated. We want to help this duck family survive but first do no harm. Thanks in advance!
Ever thought of adopting? Or trying to find someone who might want them and give them security.
