Splay leg

[Duckfarmer1]

Oh my gosh...this makes me miss my ducklings soooo much! Why do they grow sooo fast?? I had a tinnny little runt like that. I put some probiotics in the water he swam in, so he could absorb it...I also put yogurt is his crumbles......but you might not need to do an6 of that ...they are sooooo cute

 

[johntfs]

Oh my gosh...this makes me miss my ducklings soooo much! Why do they grow sooo fast?? I had a tinnny little runt like that. I put some probiotics in the water he swam in, so he could absorb it...I also put yogurt is his crumbles......but you might not need to do an6 of that ...they are sooooo cute

This is one of the reasons I don't want to get ducklings. Even now I keep looking into scientific literature to try to figure out a way to keep them... ducklings. Like give them some artificial version of this:

https://abcnews.go.com/Health/40-year-child-benjamin-button-children-grow-age/story?id=12724960
I know myself well enough to know that if I got ducklings of my own I'd try different stuff to inhibit their growth and keep them as "duck baby" pets. But I'm also smart enough to know that trying that stuff would just get me dead ducklings. Or ducklings that wished they were dead.

Figure my best option is to wait for Spring and do some duckling rescue (actual rescue of lost/orphaned ducklings and not snatching them from their mothers). That way I get ducklings for a day or two and then turn them over to wildlife rehabilitation people who genuinely have their best interests in mind instead wanting a cute, fuzzy forever duckie.

 

[DiYMama540]

@johntfs just give in and get a flock of ducks! You won't regret it...with all the work there are a ton of rewards in watching them grow into a happy, healthy flock! You've definitely done your research time...now for some hands on experience!!

 

[johntfs]

@johntfs just give in and get a flock of ducks! You won't regret it...with all the work there are a ton of rewards in watching them grow into a happy, healthy flock! You've definitely done your research time...now for some hands on experience!!

Figure I'll get some "hands-on" experience if I rescue some ducklings in the Spring. Meanwhile, I live in the suburbs with lots of other houses around (and duck poo is stinky and female ducks are noisy). My backyard isn't fenced or protected from predators in any way. I have no coop. I also care for my elderly mother and have a full-time job.

Nothing in my life right now is congruent with me caring for a flock of (or even one or two) adult ducks. Ducklings for a day or two, I should be able to do. If/when things change, I might well go full duck-slave.

The weirdest part is that I could see "perma-ducklings" as being a good thing. That gets at the "Easter duckling" problem where people buy the cute little ducklings, they grow up really fast and then they dump the (domesticated and unlikely to survive) ducks at parks or other wilderness areas.

However, almost all the research is gear toward getting ducks to grow bigger, faster to boost egg and meat production because they're livestock.

 

[KCDC]

So the hobble came off, a band (zip tie) was added to the leg of the runt and they both joined the rest of the flock for their first swim today. I have a feeling I won’t be able to tell the runt from the rest so I put the band on it so I can track it as it grows.

 

[Miss Lydia]

How precious! great news about the runt and little splay leg.

 

[DiYMama540]

I miss ducklings in the tub!! Hilarious to me when they get the zoomies so small!!