Neighbor FOUND this DUCK in Cat's mouth...PICS

[cheeptrick]

Can anyone tell me what kind of duck is this?

I think it is feral...

Any ideas??

 

[MissPrissy]

I believe it is wood ducks that have that squarish head as ducklings.

 

[cheeptrick]

Thanks...MissPrissy...
What should I do with it? I know I cannot keep it...if it is feral right? But I do not want the cat to get it again...

Should I release by itself? We have a river about 1/4 mile down the road...I fear if I release it by itself it'll be eaten surely!!

 

[MissPrissy]

I would send a PM to terrielacy and take her expert advice. For now put the duck in a warm place and don't handle it too much.

 

[cheeptrick]

Quote:
Done Thank you very much!!

 

[Katy]

Looks like a little wood duck to me too.

 

[RebelsHope]

I believe that would a wild duck, not a feral one. Feral would be a domesticated duck that returned to the wild.

 

[xke4]

That is a wood duck duckling for sure. Do you have any certified rehab facilities in your area? If not, and there is no mother in sight, and you are going to try and raise it on your own, this is what you need to do. ( I have 11 in my bathroom as we speak). They need:

1. A quiet place. They are very skitterish and if they do not settle down, they won't eat and will die in a few days.
2. If they are really tiny, you probably don't need to worry about food for 24 hours. If they are peeping and jumping, they have to be getting their energy from somewhere and that somewhere is their yolk sac.
3. A deep bin (like a Rubbermaid plastic bin lined with towels or paper towels....just NOT newspaper and probably not shavings at this stage)
4. A heat lamp
5. When you do offer food......put down a piece of paper towel so they can see the food against a white background. Chop into tiny pieces...mealworms, leaf lettuce (not iceberg), and tiny crickets. Sprinkle duck starter crumbles around as well.
6. Offer water in a chick or quail waterer. Or if using a regular sized waterer, put large marbles or clean stones in the lip so they can't get in and get themselves wet.

I have raised them along with mallards that were orphaned at the same time and they do fine. So if you have a mallard duckling the same age, they can go together and be friends.
They are not candidates for a soft release, however, like the mallards. Once they are outside, not contained, they will be gone. We use a "soft release" program for Mallards. That is...they are out on the lawn, supervised, during the day but brought inside at night until one day they fly off and be "real"ducks.

Best of Luck, Carolyn

 

[Guitartists]

Boy, it's THAT time of year, isn't it? Maybe we need an orphaned Wood Duck section on the forum.... they seem to be coming out of the woodwork (no pun intended)....... would be nice if all these folks could find Wood Duck info in one spot as they are so difficult to raise.

 

[poultrykeeper08]

Guitartists thast a great idea !
thatss deffinitaly a wood duck . GOOD LUCK with it ! i mean that .
Keep us posted