Orphan duckling...need help identifying! Sooooo cute! :-)

[kjgarrard]

My mom called me up early this morning telling me she had found a duckling in the backyard of her sisters house. The duckling hopped onto her foot (odd, since I have 3 Khaki Campbells, and at 7 weeks are just now allowing me to pet them and pick them up). Knowing that I have the resources, my mom asked if I could take in the baby since it didn't have a mother. They suspect that the duckling's mother was either eaten by the chained up crocodile in the neighbors back yard, eaten by the large boa constrictor, or was bought as food for the aforementioned animals. I met her this morning, and now this is what I have, a baby duckling about 1 day old...or so, a baby who is VERY affectionate (always wants to be held and will nestle in the crook of my neck by my shoulder), and a baby whom I have no idea what breed it is. If at all possible, I would really appreciate someone who can help me out with identifying this darling duckling!

My guess is either Mallard or Rouen????



Also, my Khakis are biting at the duckling. Will this get better the more I have them around the duckling? When I first introduced the duckling, it ran after my Khakis, while they ran away from it! After that the ducks will bite at it if I bring it around them. What should I do?

 

[Kevin565]

That duckling is WAY to young to be in with 7 week olds. They will kill it. You will need to brood this one by it's self for a few weeks then try introducing it. I would add in a stuffed animal so it doesn't get lonely. It is indeed a Mallard

 

[desertdarlene]

It is a mallard, indeed. Yes, don't keep it in with the big ducklings.

It might have gotten left behind when it's mother moved off to a new area.

Usually, when people buy food for their reptiles it's either dead or a domestic breed like a Pekin, so it's mom probably wasn't purposely bought for that reason.

By the way, does fish and game know your neighbor has a croc in his yard?

 

[kjgarrard]

NOT my neighbor!!!

 

[kjgarrard]

That said (lol), thank you for your posts. I will put in a stuffed animal. I have him in a brooder right now, and he/she is doing good. In addition, will the mallard duckling fly off when it matures?

 

[Kevin565]

That said (lol), thank you for your posts. I will put in a stuffed animal. I have him in a brooder right now, and he/she is doing good. In addition, will the mallard duckling fly off when it matures?

If raised by humans it's a 50/50 shot

 

[kjgarrard]

Just an update...I released the mallard back into the wild this summer. She started flying around our property for long periods of time and then landing in our swimming pool. Since she was bullied and ostracized by the other ducks, I figured she would be much happier on a lake and with ducks of her own kind. So, I took her to my Mom's house. She lives on a lake where they have so many mallards that are protected due to a duck club being located on the lake. There is state land surrounding 3/4 of the lake and I figured that since she is a wild duck she should return to the wild. Upon arriving at my Mom's house I knew I had made a good decision. Two docks down from me was a dock completely lined in mallards with mallards swimming all around. They were literally everywhere. Dotting the setting sun's rays glimmering off the water were mallards galore. Flocks, flocks, and more flocks. I opened the crate that I brought her in and held her in my arms. First thing she did was cuddle under my neck (probably due to the sound of the waves breaking on the sea wall), second, she popped her neck and head straight up (very interested), third, she jumped up on my shoulder, finally, before I could tell her goodbye, she jumped from my shoulder and flew off disguising herself among the innumerable mallards living off the lake. I brought up what was left of the duckling feed (50 pounds) and gave it to my Mom. She became very attached, or perhaps it is the other way around, to the ducks that she fed. She didn't like to leave down state for too long, because she wanted to make sure the "wild" ducks were fed!?! Whatever happened to "Lucky", I don't know. But I hope she lives happy, fat, and free!

 

[kjgarrard]

By the way, here is the little girl (I believe) just before she moved to the great wide open

 

[fowl farm]

Very pretty! And yes, I think it's a girl

 

[1MrsMagoo]

Thanks for coming back and telling us what became of the duck. I always kind of wondered about what had happened. Glad you found somewhere safe for her to go!