Rescuing a dumped duck

[Chicken Happy]

This morning on my way to work, I noticed a white duck on the fishing dock. An obvious 'duck dump' - as we have plenty of wild ducks here and this guy does not fit in. On my way home, s/he was still there. I did stop and attempted to get friendly - it would have helped if I had some food. S/he decided to waddle off and float in the lake 10' from shore. My brain tells me that I do not need a duck, as I have a mob of chickens already and they are rather needy. That said, I just told my husband and he says, "why not?" Very well, if the duck is there in the morning - I will attempt a rescue. How do I go about this? Can it hang with my unruly mob of chickens? Does it need a coop? Quarantine it? Every year we notice a "dumped duck" at the lake...they do well in the summer, but winter is another story. I need advice!!!!

 

[Amiga]

If it's a female duck, you may have few or no problems with the chickens. A drake would not be good in with the chickens because he will most likely try to mate with them and that could harm or kill them (mismatched equipment).

If she is used to being a pet, a treat like thawed frozen peas or mealworms might convince her to get close to you.

If not, you may need to get a few friends, some plastic poultry fence, and a canoe or kayak together and walk her into a temporary fenced area to be able to pick her up.

I may not describe this well, but here goes.

Set up, near the water's edge, a u-shaped temporary pen. The ends of the pen need to extend several feet into the water. You need a person at each end, standing in the water.

Put some treats in the pen.

The person in the kayak or canoe goes around to the far side of the duck, and then moves slowly toward the duck, ideally getting her to go into the pen. When she has gone in far enough, the two people holding the ends of the fencing walk toward each other and close the pen.

Then someone can go in and pick her up, and she can be placed in a dog crate and taken home where she will be quarantined till a fecal exam can be done, to be safe.

 

[Miss Lydia]

This morning on my way to work, I noticed a white duck on the fishing dock. An obvious 'duck dump' - as we have plenty of wild ducks here and this guy does not fit in. On my way home, s/he was still there. I did stop and attempted to get friendly - it would have helped if I had some food. S/he decided to waddle off and float in the lake 10' from shore. My brain tells me that I do not need a duck, as I have a mob of chickens already and they are rather needy. That said, I just told my husband and he says, "why not?" Very well, if the duck is there in the morning - I will attempt a rescue. How do I go about this? Can it hang with my unruly mob of chickens? Does it need a coop? Quarantine it? Every year we notice a "dumped duck" at the lake...they do well in the summer, but winter is another story. I need advice!!!!

I hope you can get her, hopefully just a hand full of treats will do the job although it may take a few days, try corn or dried meal worms even some bread just to catch her then drop the bread and corn. Hoping for the best.

 

[fawne]

My ducks love cherry tomatoes so much that they will follow them anywhere. Even into my house.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Update?