The insanity of a single duckling

[Knighstar679]

Last weekend I had eggs hatch. Out of the 7 eggs that hatched and survived only one was a duckling for me. So low and behold I have acquired a single duckling.

This is a baby Aztec duckling now named Nibbler. It is a wild and crazy duckling with no fear and will attack the dogs and leap of tall surfaces in a single bound!

while for the first three or four days it had ducklings that were going to someone else it no longer has any other ducklings it’s age around.

we tried to introduce it to my 2.5 week old ducklings I have but that didn’t go over well at all. Poor Nibbler got chased around like it stole the other ducklings last dollar.

This leaves poor Nibbler with just us humans and the dogs to keep it company.

it is not so bonded that it won’t eat thankfully but it won’t sleep alone. As I am just about a sleep every night the cute little fluff butt starts crying. I tried to ignore it and that doesn’t work it peeped for over an hour one night.
I eventually couldn’t take it anymore and grabbed a towel and wrapped it up and put it with me in bed. It stayed in the towel all night so no duck poop in bed with me. This has been my nights for three nights now.

As you can tell it’s a cute little sleep eating monster.
Who has even gone shopping for more duck food once.

That is the fun journey of a single duckling

 

[SolarDuck]

I also have raised a single duckling in the past, when penguin was very small she would just sleep in a hamster cage on my bedside stand so she could see me right there and it would calm her down. If she got particularly peepy I found throwing a thin blanket over the cage just made her go right to sleep.

 

[Everose]

That is so precious! I have tried to bond with my ducklings in the past but they had each other so they didn't want me around. Sir William Wallace Braveheart was my drake and he liked me but then a predator took him and the other ducks quit coming close to me at all. We're getting SA eggs today in the mail, hopefully they want to bond once they've hatched.

 

[Knighstar679]

I have some ducklings due to hatch this next week/ weekend so hopefully Nibbler won’t be lonely any more.

but it is nice to have a duckling that is bonded to me. I had a pair that was slightly bonded to me but nothing like this one has.

hopefully you have a good hatch Evenrose. I know how it can be nail biting.

 

[Everose]

Thank you! They literally just got here!

 

[BrandySC]

I also have raised a single duckling in the past, when penguin was very small she would just sleep in a hamster cage on my bedside stand so she could see me right there and it would calm her down. If she got particularly peepy I found throwing a thin blanket over the cage just made her go right to sleep.

No duck experience but I have something similar with a gosling. He's in a crate in a separate room and as soon as the light's turned off and the door is shut he settles down to sleep. I know parakeets and the like have their cages covered at night, I guess these guys are no different.

 

[BrandySC]

Last weekend I had eggs hatch. Out of the 7 eggs that hatched and survived only one was a duckling for me. So low and behold I have acquired a single duckling.
View attachment 2621298
This is a baby Aztec duckling now named Nibbler. It is a wild and crazy duckling with no fear and will attack the dogs and leap of tall surfaces in a single bound!

while for the first three or four days it had ducklings that were going to someone else it no longer has any other ducklings it’s age around.

we tried to introduce it to my 2.5 week old ducklings I have but that didn’t go over well at all. Poor Nibbler got chased around like it stole the other ducklings last dollar.

This leaves poor Nibbler with just us humans and the dogs to keep it company.

it is not so bonded that it won’t eat thankfully but it won’t sleep alone. As I am just about a sleep every night the cute little fluff butt starts crying. I tried to ignore it and that doesn’t work it peeped for over an hour one night.
I eventually couldn’t take it anymore and grabbed a towel and wrapped it up and put it with me in bed. It stayed in the towel all night so no duck poop in bed with me. This has been my nights for three nights now.

As you can tell it’s a cute little sleep eating monster.View attachment 2621328
Who has even gone shopping for more duck food once.
View attachment 2621329
That is the fun journey of a single duckling

Just have to say I love your descriptions and your photos! I see this is an old thread, what was the outcome?

 

[getaclue]

Try a washable stuffed animal, a bit larger than the duckling. It will be scared at first, but once it gets over the fear, which is pretty quick, it will take to the stuffed animal. Ducklings are very messy, so you may want 2 identical ones, so they have a clean one, while the other is being washed.

 

[Knighstar679]

Just have to say I love your descriptions and your photos! I see this is an old thread, what was the outcome?

Nibbler eventually got a chicken friend one week into its solo lifestyle. It is still very young yet so lots of time for more insanity to ensue.

 

[Knighstar679]

Try a washable stuffed animal, a bit larger than the duckling. It will be scared at first, but once it gets over the fear, which is pretty quick, it will take to the stuffed animal. Ducklings are very messy, so you may want 2 identical ones, so they have a clean one, while the other is being washed.

We got a feather duster which helped. Didn’t completely fix it but helped.