prtecting my 9 baby mallards

[whippoorwill72]

I am the camp director on a farm camp and have 3 grown mallard ducks. One of them (we have had her 4 years) just hatched 8 babies over the weekend. She ahs hatched before and they have not survived in the wild. We would like to help keep these 8 babies alive. Can we catch them and put them somewhere safe? Can we catch mama duck so we can keep them altogether? Do we just let them try to survive on their own and hope for the best?

 

[Miss Lydia]

I am the camp director on a farm camp and have 3 grown mallard ducks. One of them (we have had her 4 years) just hatched 8 babies over the weekend. She ahs hatched before and they have not survived in the wild. We would like to help keep these 8 babies alive. Can we catch them and put them somewhere safe? Can we catch mama duck so we can keep them altogether? Do we just let them try to survive on their own and hope for the best?

you could try catching mama duck and her ducklings but she would probably not be a happy camper if she is 100% wild Mallard, most likely predators in the water and out are the culprits and she really has no defense to protect them, in nature I guess it's Mother natures way of keep the population under control but very sad when we see them all perish, most of the time we don't know when whole broods don't make it. If you have the place to shelter them till they are big enough to take care of themselves then by all means do it, maybe leave the top open so mama can come and go, not that she would she may just abandon them. then you'd be responsible for taking care of them till fully feathered and ready to be on their own. If you do decide to keep them all what ever you put them in will have to be very secure top and bottom because pedators are very clever about finding ways in to get duck dinner. Hope you all can figure it out and help these lil ones make it. and