Mother Ducking

[TJAnonymous]

ok duck lovers....I hatched out a single duckling from a cracked egg today. I'm trying to figure out the best way to raise this little guy/gal. Here are my options...looking for advice.

1. I have a broody chicken sitting on 4 duck eggs in the coop. My broody Pekin WAS sitting on them until the chicken bullied her off the eggs. What is the likelihood that either the chicken or the (ex?) broody Pekin can or should take the little nugget?

2. I have 4 duck eggs in my incubator at the moment, but they are still at least 2-3 weeks away from hatching.

3. Hand raise the little nugget myself as a solitary duckling until he/she is old enough to go into the coop with the other ducks... If I choose this option, I need to know what that entails as I've never hand-raised a SOLITARY duckling.

Appreciate any helpful feedback or advice....

 

[cheezenkwackers]

ok duck lovers....I hatched out a single duckling from a cracked egg today. I'm trying to figure out the best way to raise this little guy/gal. Here are my options...looking for advice.

1. I have a broody chicken sitting on 4 duck eggs in the coop. My broody Pekin WAS sitting on them until the chicken bullied her off the eggs. What is the likelihood that either the chicken or the (ex?) broody Pekin can or should take the little nugget?

2. I have 4 duck eggs in my incubator at the moment, but they are still at least 2-3 weeks away from hatching.

3. Hand raise the little nugget myself as a solitary duckling until he/she is old enough to go into the coop with the other ducks... If I choose this option, I need to know what that entails as I've never hand-raised a SOLITARY duckling.

Appreciate any helpful feedback or advice....

I am one week into having a single duckling after a bad hatch. On the advice of people on here, I bought my baby a stuffed dog toy and a mirror for company. I also keep an echo dot by him playing heartbeat sounds. We visit my big ducks every day so he can see and hear them. So far mine is doing fine. Rather spoiled, in fact. I am still trying to get him a friend. But, if it doesn’t work out, I will raise this one until it can join the big ducks.
This is my baby, Pickles. He is a Dutch Hook-bill.

This is what I bought from Walmart.

 

[Jenbirdee]

yes ^^^^^ perfect

 

[ruthhope]

ok duck lovers....I hatched out a single duckling from a cracked egg today. I'm trying to figure out the best way to raise this little guy/gal. Here are my options...looking for advice.

1. I have a broody chicken sitting on 4 duck eggs in the coop. My broody Pekin WAS sitting on them until the chicken bullied her off the eggs. What is the likelihood that either the chicken or the (ex?) broody Pekin can or should take the little nugget?

2. I have 4 duck eggs in my incubator at the moment, but they are still at least 2-3 weeks away from hatching.

3. Hand raise the little nugget myself as a solitary duckling until he/she is old enough to go into the coop with the other ducks... If I choose this option, I need to know what that entails as I've never hand-raised a SOLITARY duckling.

Appreciate any helpful feedback or advice....

I would cautiously try and introduce your duckling to the pekin female, but separate the two of them from your hens. Only the pekin can teach your duckling about swimming.

If the supervised introduction is unsuccessful, if the pekin tries to attack your little fluffie or shuns it, try and introduce the duckling to the broody hen. When do you expect the other duck eggs to hatch? I think introductions will only work if the other eggs hatch within a day or max 2.

The least desirable is for you to hand raise the little fluffie as it will imprint on you if it hasn't already, and bond very tightly. I have a muscovy rescue that I hand raised alone until 7 weeks when I got two more rescue ducklings, of about the same age, as ducky companions. The original muscovy is still tightly bonded with me although he has lived in the duck house with his two friends and other ducks since 7 weeks. He is now two years old, comes when I call him, follows me around the garden, bites my ankles demanding attention and takes every opportunity to try and get in the house. He is very cuddly and does like standing on my lap being petted (for hours--he thinks I have nothing else to do but pet him). It's much healthier for a duck to be a duck not a duck that thinks it is a human.

If you have to hand raise your duck it will need a lot of attention from you or it will get lonely and depressed. You can try giving it a mirror, but it took my boy just 4 hours to realise that was not a duck in the mirror. After that, he was only interested in looking in the mirror to make sure I was still there behind him. You can give soft toys -- mine just lay on his soft toy duck and pined until I picked him up and gave him the love and attention he needed. You can give little toys to entertsin but mine only delighted in dropping bird toys on the floor for me to pick up. So if at all possible, have the pekin or the broody hen raise that duckling.

Good luck and pls update us on progress

 

[TJAnonymous]

I am one week into having a single duckling after a bad hatch. On the advice of people on here, I bought my baby a stuffed dog toy and a mirror for company. I also keep an echo dot by him playing heartbeat sounds. We visit my big ducks every day so he can see and hear them. So far mine is doing fine. Rather spoiled, in fact. I am still trying to get him a friend. But, if it doesn’t work out, I will raise this one until it can join the big ducks.
This is my baby, Pickles. He is a Dutch Hook-bill.
View attachment 3551329
This is what I bought from Walmart.
View attachment 3551331

Awwww, sooooooo cute! Thanks for the advice! I think I do have a little stuffed duck and a mirror. I've used the mirror for solitary chicks before. My little nugget is currently crawling around under my shirt and giving me the giggles. I will keep him in the incubator for tonight since my MHP is out in one of my coops. I'll set up a brooder for him tomorrow.

 

[TJAnonymous]

I would cautiously try and introduce your duckling to the pekin female, but separate the two of them from your hens. Only the pekin can teach your duckling about swimming.

If the supervised introduction is unsuccessful, if the pekin tries to attack your little fluffie or shuns it, try and introduce the duckling to the broody hen. When do you expect the other duck eggs to hatch? I think introductions will only work if the other eggs hatch within a day or max 2.

The least desirable is for you to hand raise the little fluffie as it will imprint on you if it hasn't already, and bond very tightly. I have a muscovy rescue that I hand raised alone until 7 weeks when I got two more rescue ducklings, of about the same age, as ducky companions. The original muscovy is still tightly bonded with me although he has lived in the duck house with his two friends and other ducks since 7 weeks. He is now two years old, comes when I call him, follows me around the garden, bites my ankles demanding attention and takes every opportunity to try and get in the house. He is very cuddly and does like standing on my lap being petted (for hours--he thinks I have nothing else to do but pet him). It's much healthier for a duck to be a duck not a duck that thinks it is a human.

If you have to hand raise your duck it will need a lot of attention from you or it will get lonely and depressed. You can try giving it a mirror, but it took my boy just 4 hours to realise that was not a duck in the mirror. After that, he was only interested in looking in the mirror to make sure I was still there behind him. You can give soft toys -- mine just lay on his soft toy duck and pined until I picked him up and gave him the love and attention he needed. You can give little toys to entertsin but mine only delighted in dropping bird toys on the floor for me to pick up. So if at all possible, have the pekin or the broody hen raise that duckling.

Good luck and pls update us on progress

Thank you for the feedback... I think the eggs in the coop that the broody chicken is sitting on have at least another week. It's hard to tell because I'm not sure how long the Pekin was sitting on them. I usually collect eggs every day but I was away unexpectedly for 3 weeks due to a death in the family. Kids didn't collect eggs regularly.

Anyway, I can bring the Pekin in and introduce her to the baby well away from the others. The question will be whether I have the right one because I have two Pekin hens and they are hard to tell apart... I think the one that was broody does try to get back on her nest once in a while but won't challenge the chicken for whatever reason.

If I have to handraise, that's OK too... I work from home so I'm able to interact throughout the day. After office hours, I'm usually outside with my chickens and ducks anyway... And in 2 weeks or so, I'll have 4 new ducklings hatch which are in the incubator right now. These are duck eggs that I collected after being gone and candled. If they were at least a week-ish along in development, I kept them and put in the incubator.

 

[TJAnonymous]

Yeah, this duckling (whom my DH has decided to name Zim since he has invaded the house) has DEFINITELY imprinted on me. I tried to move him into the brooder and he just chirps non-stop until I come get him. He's currently sleeping nestled against my stomach... Little nugget.

 

[TJAnonymous]

This is Zim... Burrowing into my hair. He has been with me most of the day, either in my lap or in a fanny pack when I need to be away from the house. We went to the feed store together where the ladies oooed and aaahhhed over him. I took him out into the duck pen. Even though no one bothered him, he was terrified. I did get him to eat a little and drink a lot. He has a stuffed duck but could care less about it. I might try a soft blanket or a feather duster if I can find one. He does like the mirror but he likes me better...

 

[cheezenkwackers]

This is Zim... Burrowing into my hair. He has been with me most of the day, either in my lap or in a fanny pack when I need to be away from the house. We went to the feed store together where the ladies oooed and aaahhhed over him. I took him out into the duck pen. Even though no one bothered him, he was terrified. I did get him to eat a little and drink a lot. He has a stuffed duck but could care less about it. I might try a soft blanket or a feather duster if I can find one. He does like the mirror but he likes me better...

View attachment 3552392

Wow! Mine really likes me but is usually ok in his tank. He does peep like crazy at bedtime. I hope you get some sleep tonight.

 

[TJAnonymous]

Wow! Mine really likes me but is usually ok in his tank. He does peep like crazy at bedtime. I hope you get some sleep tonight.

I will put mine in the brooder tonight. I use a MHP as opposed to a heat lamp. I did put him in it earlier for a couple of hours. He peeped for a bit but eventually quieted down. Until my other eggs hatch or I find him a friend, that's the best I can do... If I didn't work from home, this wouldn't be remotely possible for me to manage. It truly does require constant attention.