Should I give these eggs I’ve been incubating to a wildlife rehabilitation center?

[Babybearhiggins]

I live on a marsh with dozens of ducks, several of which stay in our yard, as they know we’re a dependable provider of cracked corn. My favorite Muscovy laid 7 eggs in my garage on the bare pavement and ended up breaking 3 of them trying to move them. She had at least 30-40’ left of concrete to go before even making it to grass, and there was really no safe place for her to sit on them, so I bought an incubator. Long story short, today is day 19 of incubation & I think 3 of the eggs are alive.

Now that hatching time is approaching, I’m wondering how intensive the care for the babies will be and if they will be able to adjust to life with the other ducks ok. I don’t want them to be our pets. I’d like them to be as self sufficient as the other ducks that are in the marsh, which hang out in our yard, but go out into the water and socialize with the others.

Is this a dream? How long will it take for them to grow up and go out with the others? Or is it possible that the mother duck could take over care of the babies. She isn’t broody- she’s still very sweet and friendly. Is raising these ducklings going to be a huge responsibility?

 

[Ridgerunner]

Are those ducks wild? If they are and you are in Europe or the US you have probably broken some laws. You are not supposed to fool with eggs of certain wild birds like these. Usually the authorities will just slap your hand and say don't do it again but there are potential penalties. What they are really after is poachers. If they are not wild, no big deal.
If you contact a wildlife rehab or even a park ranger they might take the eggs from you. Probably without any issues. If you elect to hatch them that duck will not mother them. You will need to raise them.

I don't do ducks so I'm not sure how old they need to be to let them loose on their own. It sounds like you feed them anyway. At some point when they can fly well I'd let them roam with the duck flock if you want to return them to the wild. They will be vulnerable to predators so a rehab facility would be a real good idea in my mind. But this is basically how you would add chicks to a feral chicken flock. Often a lot don't make it but they don't in the wild either when raised by a duck mother.

 

[Babybearhiggins]

Are those ducks wild? If they are and you are in Europe or the US you have probably broken some laws. You are not supposed to fool with eggs of certain wild birds like these. Usually the authorities will just slap your hand and say don't do it again but there are potential penalties. What they are really after is poachers. If they are not wild, no big deal.
If you contact a wildlife rehab or even a park ranger they might take the eggs from you. Probably without any issues. If you elect to hatch them that duck will not mother them. You will need to raise them.

I don't do ducks so I'm not sure how old they need to be to let them loose on their own. It sounds like you feed them anyway. At some point when they can fly well I'd let them roam with the duck flock if you want to return them to the wild. They will be vulnerable to predators so a rehab facility would be a real good idea in my mind. But this is basically how you would add chicks to a feral chicken flock. Often a lot don't make it but they don't in the wild either when raised by a duck mother.

We live on the back of a nature preserve. Thank you so much for letting me know this/ I honestly had no idea I was breaking any laws. I definitely wouldn’t have done it. I was just trying to keep some of the eggs in tact. Now I feel terrible.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Don't feel bad, people do this all the time and they are just trying to help. There was nothing malicious about it, that's why you are almost certainly not in trouble. Your heart was in the right place.

 

[Babybearhiggins]

Don't feel bad, people do this all the time and they are just trying to help. There was nothing malicious about it, that's why you are almost certainly not in trouble. Your heart was in the right place.

Thank you.