Missing newborn duckling

[Cmu72368]

Please help! I have a mother duck that hatched one baby duckling 2 days ago! The baby was walking around the duck house staying close to momma. I have 8 grown ducks including momma, there is a small river out front. This morning when I let them out, all but momma went (common since she has been on nest) I went in later to check on her and the baby, the baby is gone! It was there last night when The other ducks went in for the night! It was a few hours this morning I was gone and came back to mother on the nest, no sign of the baby at all! (Mother is hissing but was able to determine the baby is not under her) Please help! I am so upset!

 

[Cmu72368]

Please help! I have a mother duck that hatched one baby duckling 2 days ago! The baby was walking around the duck house staying close to momma. I have 8 grown ducks including momma, there is a small river out front. This morning when I let them out, all but momma went (common since she has been on nest) I went in later to check on her and the baby, the baby is gone! It was there last night when The other ducks went in for the night! It was a few hours this morning I was gone and came back to mother on the nest, no sign of the baby at all! (Mother is hissing but was able to determine the baby is not under her) Please help! I am so upset! Could the other ducks have killed it? No sign of it at all!!!

 

[Miss Lydia]

Did you have mama and baby separated from the other ducks?
Were they able to wander around outside? Duckling could have been taken by any thing or fell in the river. Very hard to say. Very sorry.

Is mama duck still sitting on eggs?

 

[Cmu72368]

T

Did you have mama and baby separated from the other ducks?
Were they able to wander around outside? Duckling could have been taken by any thing or fell in the river. Very hard to say. Very sorry.

Is mama duck still sitting on eggs?

They were not separated, but the other ducks go out all day. She is still sitting on the eggs! It's about 50 ft to the river, I hadn't seen the baby go out (the coop is a large kids playhouse) the mother only leaves for a few minutes to run to the river and comes right back, I stayed and watched the baby from outside the coop yesterday until she came back.

 

[Miss Lydia]

I wish I could figure it out for you, It's heartbreaking for sure. If me I'd set mama duck up so that when any more hatch she has privacy and safety from the other ducks and predators and being able to follow mama to the river. When just hatched there is alot that can go wrong.

 

[nao57]

I wish I could figure it out for you, It's heartbreaking for sure. If me I'd set mama duck up so that when any more hatch she has privacy and safety from the other ducks and predators and being able to follow mama to the river. When just hatched there is alot that can go wrong.

I want to say I agree with this a lot.

Particularly the first 8 days of life, the mortatility rate is sky high.

One method I like to do is put them inside a kiddy pool in a basement for a few days until a bit bigger (ducklings, but not adult ducks.) These are cheap too.