Releasing Mallard duckling

[WendyCFL]

Hi, my friend was given a duckling by someone who grabbed her from a cat's mouth and no mom/other ducklings in sight. The duckling is still afraid of all human activity which was the plan - how old do they need to be before being released into a pond where there are already ducks that remain there on a regular basis? Thanks for any info!

 

[duckyfromoz]

A duckling raised by humans may never be able to be released back into the wild with any real hope for its survival in some cases. Even having it afraid of human contact now will not make it a good candidate for release when older. A hand raised duck needs rehabilitation to teach it to fend for itself and to re-establish the its instincts to fear humans and predators for its own safety. They need to learn to find their own food rather than have it provided for them. Can your friend try to find some kind of organisation in her area to take the bird now and raise it among other orphaned wild birds? That may be the best for it in the long run.

 

[DuckLover2399]

Man i wish u live in oklahoma i would take him and raise him! But you CAN NOT release them into the wild. ducks are amazing pets! You should keep him/her! also make sure you have a heat lamp for it!

 

[StevenW.]

It's not only unfair for the duckling to die when he depends on humans for food, water, and shelter.
But it's also Illegal to release ducks that are raised by humans into the wild.

 

[desertdarlene]

I would suggest taking it to the nearest wildlife rehabber, rescue agency or humane society. One thing I would be concerned about is that the duckling was caught by the cat. It would be good for a vet to check it out even if it appears unhurt. A rescue agency would be able to do that. Otherwise, I wouldn't really release it if you plan to raise it yourself.

 

[ericdc]

Quote:
So they have a pond with other ducks on it. Are they wild or domesticated?

Once they get around 8 or 9 weeks old, mallard should be able to make it on a pond.

 

[WendyCFL]

She did take the duck to her vet to look for initial wounds etc, no problems there. I'll suggest she get duck to a wild life rehabber here in town. And the pond is with wild ducks - but someone feeds them from what I understand. Never been there before, but one resident is very fond of all the ducks. Thanks for the info!

 

[ericdc]

Quote:
I'd just release it on that pond. Mallards are pretty adaptive.

 

[DuckLover9138]

Desertdarlene is absolutely right. She has the wisdom and experience. If you can't send it to the professionals, then make sure it can fly before releasing it somewhere safe without humans. My ducks got attached to me and didn't run when someone was throwing rocks at them. Don't let it get too comfortable around people. As difficult and unreasonable as it sounds, ducks need fear to survive.

 

[Treezie03]

I disagree with most perspectives here. Why is it so black and white? Release or keep as a pet? I've read many accounts of people letting their orphaned mallards free range during the day, close them up safely at night and one day the mallard chooses to leave on its own. Simple. Also if you "release" on your own property you might even get a surprise visitor for years to come.