Rescued Mallard Duckling

Smeamers

In the Brooder
10 Years
Feb 16, 2009
34
0
32
Kalamazoo, MI
Monday night I was setting up my brooder for my chicks that were to arrive Tuesday, when a friend called to tell me she found a lone mallard duckling in the road in front of her house (she lives in the city). No mama to be found anywhere. She brought it to me and I put it in my brooder. It's very young, most likely less than a week old. Poor thing peeped its head off unless we were comforting it, but seems to be getting on well with my new buff orpington chicks when they arrived. The problem I'm having is that it doesn't seem to do well with the starter feed. I'm using feed from my local mill, not crumbles. I suspect it is a texture or hardness issue? The duck will peck at feed but then shake its head and the feed falls out of its bill. It seems to do better with some wheat bread crumbs and greens we've also given it. I was hoping when it saw the chicks eat, it would get the hang of it. I'm sure the feed is very different than whatever it had been eating before it came to me, but I haven't seen any info suggesting ducklings need something soft. Any ideas? I'm going to dig up a clump of sod to put in there and find some little bugs too. Thanks!

Amy
 

sumi

Rest in Peace 1980-2020
Premium Feather Member
8 Years
Jun 28, 2011
39,156
26,745
1,302
Hi Amy, there's a Duck section on this forum. Have a look there? The only thing I ever fed ducks was bread!
 

Smeamers

In the Brooder
10 Years
Feb 16, 2009
34
0
32
Kalamazoo, MI
Thanks! I didn't scroll down the forum list long enough to see the duck category. I'll check there. Does anyone know how I can move my post over there?
 

sumi

Rest in Peace 1980-2020
Premium Feather Member
8 Years
Jun 28, 2011
39,156
26,745
1,302
You can hit the red flag in the bottom left of your post's box and ask a moderator. Just tell them you mistakenly posted in the wrong section.
Good luck with your duckling!
 

fastbird

Chirping
7 Years
Apr 30, 2012
37
4
84
Spread Eagle Wisconsin
Malllards eat greens and vegatation in and around lakes and ponds in the wild. Try feeding some soft greens like lettuce or spinach along with some soft bread. Chick feed isn't something that is normally found in the wild. Not a normal part of its diet.
 

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