siriuslyscovie
In the Brooder
- Jul 29, 2021
- 4
- 25
- 34
So let me preface by saying I set up my trail cam last night to see if I caught the perpetrator/s that got my ducklings the day before. I’m going to go check it shortly. But here’s the brief backstory -
My Muscovies are wild and wound up in our yard of the house we just bought in June. Momma ended up nesting behind a shrub next to the house (it’s also raised off the ground about a foot). I fed her while she incubated the eggs and even got her pool to drink and bathe from so she didn’t have to go all the way to the lake (which isn’t far, at 700 ft). So she has her ducklings and I feed them - started giving them duckling food and treats (mealworms, peas, watermelon, etc). I made them a “pool” out of a painters tray, as well making them an entrance to the big blue kiddie pool I got for momma when she was incubating the eggs. They’re wild but they are amazing with me and my family so much so that I could consider them our outdoor “pets”. They come and go as they please, as they are not fenced in. They have unrestricted access to my front yard, which is about 3/4 of an acre. They don’t go in the backyard because I have a fenced in backyard with two dogs that are outside most most of the time. I should also say I live in a small suburban area, with lake access and streams winding through the houses. The ducks are common here though as they have duck crossing signs on a few roads right next to my road.
So the incident that happened occurred yesterday morning (today is Tuesday and this happened Monday morning). The ducklings are 2 weeks old as of today, August 10th. I went outside to feed them their treats and hose off the front drive and noticed there seemed to be a few less ducklings. I counted and I only had 13 present, I have 17. My sister in law was over and she spotted one on its back at the end of the driveway, that had been deserted (I’m assuming a predator tried to take the duckling and momma, or the drake that is present trying to mate with momma scared the predator and it dropped the baby). I am thinking it may have been a bird of prey since the other 3 ducklings are nowhere to be found, and the puncture wounds on the injured duckling are small. Either that or a small predator, like a fox or cat. We have an outdoor cat in our area that I think belongs to our neighbor, as well as dogs that are on an electric fence behind us. But I’ve seen deer and rabbits in our yard, so I’m sure there’s foxes, opossums, and raccoons that I just haven’t seen personally. The duckling was on its back and I flipped him over and he couldn’t quite walk. Even after being upright he has a hard time using the right foot. He has a puncture mark on his belly and on his back. Very small. So my sister in law said she will rehab him for a few days to see if she can get him better. We cleaned the duckling off to get a better look at his wounds. Their not huge marks, maybe 5mm at most. And the duckling wasn’t actively bleeding. She took some duckling feed and mealworms for him and has him in a large tote and she is giving him a water source (a shallow tote at her house) to provide water. If the duckling does not get better she is bringing him back and I am going to take him to a wildlife rescue, but if he does recoup we’ll return him to his family. Is there anything I need to know for rehabbing a Muscovy duckling? If he doesn’t get better is a wildlife rehab a viable option? With his limited use of his right leg I am worried he has a spinal injury. Seeing as how these are wild ducks, did I do the right thing by allowing her to take him to rehab him for a couple days/weeks? I would appreciate any advice or suggestions.
My Muscovies are wild and wound up in our yard of the house we just bought in June. Momma ended up nesting behind a shrub next to the house (it’s also raised off the ground about a foot). I fed her while she incubated the eggs and even got her pool to drink and bathe from so she didn’t have to go all the way to the lake (which isn’t far, at 700 ft). So she has her ducklings and I feed them - started giving them duckling food and treats (mealworms, peas, watermelon, etc). I made them a “pool” out of a painters tray, as well making them an entrance to the big blue kiddie pool I got for momma when she was incubating the eggs. They’re wild but they are amazing with me and my family so much so that I could consider them our outdoor “pets”. They come and go as they please, as they are not fenced in. They have unrestricted access to my front yard, which is about 3/4 of an acre. They don’t go in the backyard because I have a fenced in backyard with two dogs that are outside most most of the time. I should also say I live in a small suburban area, with lake access and streams winding through the houses. The ducks are common here though as they have duck crossing signs on a few roads right next to my road.
So the incident that happened occurred yesterday morning (today is Tuesday and this happened Monday morning). The ducklings are 2 weeks old as of today, August 10th. I went outside to feed them their treats and hose off the front drive and noticed there seemed to be a few less ducklings. I counted and I only had 13 present, I have 17. My sister in law was over and she spotted one on its back at the end of the driveway, that had been deserted (I’m assuming a predator tried to take the duckling and momma, or the drake that is present trying to mate with momma scared the predator and it dropped the baby). I am thinking it may have been a bird of prey since the other 3 ducklings are nowhere to be found, and the puncture wounds on the injured duckling are small. Either that or a small predator, like a fox or cat. We have an outdoor cat in our area that I think belongs to our neighbor, as well as dogs that are on an electric fence behind us. But I’ve seen deer and rabbits in our yard, so I’m sure there’s foxes, opossums, and raccoons that I just haven’t seen personally. The duckling was on its back and I flipped him over and he couldn’t quite walk. Even after being upright he has a hard time using the right foot. He has a puncture mark on his belly and on his back. Very small. So my sister in law said she will rehab him for a few days to see if she can get him better. We cleaned the duckling off to get a better look at his wounds. Their not huge marks, maybe 5mm at most. And the duckling wasn’t actively bleeding. She took some duckling feed and mealworms for him and has him in a large tote and she is giving him a water source (a shallow tote at her house) to provide water. If the duckling does not get better she is bringing him back and I am going to take him to a wildlife rescue, but if he does recoup we’ll return him to his family. Is there anything I need to know for rehabbing a Muscovy duckling? If he doesn’t get better is a wildlife rehab a viable option? With his limited use of his right leg I am worried he has a spinal injury. Seeing as how these are wild ducks, did I do the right thing by allowing her to take him to rehab him for a couple days/weeks? I would appreciate any advice or suggestions.
