Rescued a wild duckling, please help!

[TBR]

Hello all,

I was browsing the internet when I came across this forum.

I need some help caring for a wild, partially blind duckling that was abandoned by its parents a few days ago. I don't want to turn him over to a vet clinic as they might just cull it.

Ok, a few days ago we saw this little family of Australian Black ducks just walking through our backyard , 2 adult ducks and a single duckling, then, out of the sudden, the adults just flew away and left the baby behind. I am not sure how old it is, but it looks a bit over a week old. We got the duckling and to our surprise we noticed that it's missing one eye and its bill is damaged, reason why, i imagine, the parents left it behind. I think the nest was attacked and this was the sole survivor.

We have a baby parrot that we are hand raising , so at the moment we are giving the duck the same baby formula, some veggies and corn meal. It was a bit nervous around us the first 2 days, but today he was relaxed enough to let us pet him, he even had a little nap nested in my daughter's lap. He is swimming ok, has no problems getting around and is eating and drinking as he should. His eye is showing no sign of infection, but we are keeping him away from the parrot for now until we are certain he is healthy.

It seems like we got ourselves a new pet, as he won't be able to survive on the wild with one eye, half a bill and no duck parents to protect him, so it is time to go and buy some duck supplies.

I raised a few chickens before, but I know absolutely nothing about ducks other than they quack, so any tips will be highly regarded.

Thanks in advance

 

[Miss Lydia]

If you’ll go to top of page in the duck forum to where it says sticky’s you can find the link to raising and caring for ducklings it will give you great info congratulations on your new duckling. And Welcome to BYC!! Very special thing you have done rescuing the little one!

 

[Kkrista123]

Hello and we are so glad you are here and rescued the baby ducky! First thing first is you'll want to get the duckling on duck starter feed if possible. They need certain niacin levels as babies and especially your special ducky since it has a few special needs. Ducks need friends, so eventually you'll want to think about maybe a female companion because a male might be aggressive or rough while "playing" with the special duckling. Give the little baby a mirror and a little stuffed animal of your daughters so it gets used to your smell. The mirror and stuffed animal will help calm it down a lot. Ducks need water. They like to swim but that is no where near as important as making sure they drink. They should never eat dry food without water as it can swell up in their tummy once it does get wet and this could lead to death. Ducks are so much fun and you are going to love your experience. Meal worms are a perfect snack and very high in protein so they're great for a growing duck. You might want to keep the food and water slightly separated from each other because they become very messy eaters. Ducks are a lot like caring for chickens except, they NEVER need medicated feed, they love a pool or bath and they do not like ramps. If you have to use a ramp for anything, long, flat and wide. The biggest thing right now is making sure your duckling has enough niacin to survive and stay healthy. It needs to recover if it went through the trauma of a nest attack. Good luck with your ducky! Any pictures?

 

[Kkrista123]

If you’ll go to top of page in the duck forum to where it says sticky’s you can find the link to raising and caring for ducklings it will give you great info congratulations on your new duckling. And Welcome to BYC!! Very special thing you have done rescuing the little one!

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/ducks-sticky-topics-index.256233/
This is the thread, it has everything duck you'll need to know from the first day of life-to the last!

 

[TBR]

If you’ll go to top of page in the duck forum to where it says sticky’s you can find the link to raising and caring for ducklings it will give you great info congratulations on your new duckling. And Welcome to BYC!! Very special thing you have done rescuing the little one!

Thank you Miss Lydia, I will make sure I read the information so our little one can receive the care he needs and deserves

 

[TBR]

View attachment 1639940

Hello and we are so glad you are here and rescued the baby ducky! First thing first is you'll want to get the duckling on duck starter feed if possible. They need certain niacin levels as babies and especially your special ducky since it has a few special needs. Ducks need friends, so eventually you'll want to think about maybe a female companion because a male might be aggressive or rough while "playing" with the special duckling. Give the little baby a mirror and a little stuffed animal of your daughters so it gets used to your smell. The mirror and stuffed animal will help calm it down a lot. Ducks need water. They like to swim but that is no where near as important as making sure they drink. They should never eat dry food without water as it can swell up in their tummy once it does get wet and this could lead to death. Ducks are so much fun and you are going to love your experience. Meal worms are a perfect snack and very high in protein so they're great for a growing duck. You might want to keep the food and water slightly separated from each other because they become very messy eaters. Ducks are a lot like caring for chickens except, they NEVER need medicated feed, they love a pool or bath and they do not like ramps. If you have to use a ramp for anything, long, flat and wide. The biggest thing right now is making sure your duckling has enough niacin to survive and stay healthy. It needs to recover if it went through the trauma of a nest attack. Good luck with your ducky! Any pictures?

Hi Kkrista, thanks for the reply and tips!

 

[TBR]

Hi Kkrista, thanks for the reply and tips!

I am still figuring out how to upload a photo . This is his good side, lol

 

[Miss Lydia]

Thanks Kkrista being in my phone I can’t give links.

 

[Miss Lydia]

What a beautiful baby!!

 

[Miss Lydia]

Not everyone can find duck starter if you can’t you can put the duckling on All flock crumbles it has the amount of niacin required for water fowl.