Recovering Ducks

c-rae-m

In the Brooder
Jan 16, 2021
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I help at our city park taking care of the ducks if they need medical attention or any type of help. We have a lot of domestic breeds there and our community all pitches in and takes care of them. I will usually bring them home if there is something wrong with them and when they are able they go back to the park.

I had some babies that came home around fall. They were in varying sizes. I didn't get them returned right away because we seemed to constantly have another one coming in. They have all bonded and hang out together.

My question (after the long ramble)... Should I take them back since they were so little when they came here? Will it be bad for them - like dumping a pet duck in a weird place? I keep them the same as if they were at the park so they don't get dependant on heat lamps or anything. They have shelter and straw to get in if needed but there are places at our park they can seek shelter at also.

I just don't want to do something that is going to hurt them. I normally only keep the ones who can not fly or are so over friendly that it would be dangerous for them to go back. If they don't go back I will have to find them homes or I will run out of space to help the future ones.
 
Wow! Thank you so much for helping out the sick and injured ducks that need help! It sounds like you have made a significant difference in the lives of many individual ducks.

As long as these are domestic ducks we are talking about I am with @SolarDuck that I think your best option, for the well being of your fall ducklings, is to keep or rehome them. I think returning them would be a lot like dumping a pet. I also worry about mixing domestic duck genes into wild duck genes, as they breed together.

I have adopted 4 ducks, rescued from a pond or lake. Despite being fed they were thin, had parasites, and bloody feathers from being overmated. I strongly feel that domestic animals should be fed and protected.
 
That has been what I was thinking also. The adult ducks are easy - they usually hate me enough that its a daily reminder to take them back. I normally help the muscovies in our park. 90% of their issues is caused by bad diet (like 400 pounds of bread bad diet :( ). Its usually a quick fix - maybe 2-3 weeks and they are good to go. The wild ones go to licensed rehabbers. We have created a great network of people to help them all. If i had a huge pond and protected area I could house more but until then I have to keep my numbers down.
 
It's always good to take in ducks when they need the help! I only have 4 female Muscovy ducks but all 4 of them were taken in at one point or another from my local park. I honestly would say that any of them you do take in would be better off re-homed than released back at the pond. You mentioned 400lbs of bread, that is a same issue that I have at my local park where every single day people bring entire loaves of bread and just throw them at the ducks. In my experience, the ducks that are on the diet of mostly bread tend to not live more than a couple of years. I think any that you take in you should at least try to rehome before releasing them back there. Especially the girls!! Less girls means less ducklings being produced, and it should be pretty easy to find a home for any female duck.
 
do the ducks you're talking about fly? If they cant fly they are literally sitting ducks for predators and really shouldn't be taken back to someplace that isn't secure. I ask because you mentioned them being "domestic" and most domestics dont fly.
 
It's always good to take in ducks when they need the help! I only have 4 female Muscovy ducks but all 4 of them were taken in at one point or another from my local park. I honestly would say that any of them you do take in would be better off re-homed than released back at the pond. You mentioned 400lbs of bread, that is a same issue that I have at my local park where every single day people bring entire loaves of bread and just throw them at the ducks. In my experience, the ducks that are on the diet of mostly bread tend to not live more than a couple of years. I think any that you take in you should at least try to rehome before releasing them back there. Especially the girls!! Less girls means less ducklings being produced, and it should be pretty easy to find a home for any female duck.


We have made alot of progress with the bread issue. We haven't got rid of it completely BUT lots of people are now bringing correct food and educate others who feed bread. I manage feed stations that have bags of food for people to feed with. We have a large group of volunteers.who take care of the park and watch put for the wildlife. It gets better every week - its just not perfect yet.
 
We have made alot of progress with the bread issue. We haven't got rid of it completely BUT lots of people are now bringing correct food and educate others who feed bread. I manage feed stations that have bags of food for people to feed with. We have a large group of volunteers.who take care of the park and watch put for the wildlife. It gets better every week - its just not perfect yet.
Great work!
 
do the ducks you're talking about fly? If they cant fly they are literally sitting ducks for predators and really shouldn't be taken back to someplace that isn't secure. I ask because you mentioned them being "domestic" and most domestics dont fly.


If the ducks are unable to fly they stay with me permanently. I would never turn them out unable to fly and protect themselves. The ones I help most of the time are muscovies and they definitely fly good.
 

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