Took in 7 orphans

[Struttn1]

A buddy of mine was cutting hay off one of his fields yesterday when he saw a bird flopping after his mowing rig passed. He went over and found that he had ran over a wild mallard hen sitting on a nest of 7 hatching eggs. Two of the babies were hatched and the other 5 eggs were hatching. he called me to see if I wanted to come pick them up since he did not have the time or accomadations to take care of the little orphaned ducklings.

I went to his farm and picked them up. I have them in the guest bedroom in the same brooding setup I used for my turkey babies. They are eating gamebird feed mixed with water and apparently are drinking since I found the waterer bone dry this morning.

My son will have a busy rest of the summer being mommy to the little orphans. When they are able to fly we will introduce them to the watershed pond at the edge of my property. It stays covered with duckweed and has lots of acorns around the edges so they should do just fine. I hate that they lost momma right as they were hatching but at least they all survived and have a shot at life.

 

[FloridaChickenChick]

They are ADORABLE. They look like something right out of a child's storybook.

 

[jjthink]

It was good of you to help them and good of your friend to call you instead of leaving them there to surely die. Very sad about the mama - a gruesome end to her life. This happens during farming more than people know - with smaller birds usually.
JJ

 

[bayouchica]

they are so cute !!! thanks so much for taking them in.

 

[Struttn1]

If he had delayed cutting the field just one more day they probably would have already left the field heading for water. I cringe everytime I see a grownup field being mowed before August 1. I am always wondering how many animals will die due to the mowing being done before they have finished nesting.

My wife has even fallen in love with these cuties so between her, my son and myself these birds will be well cared for and pampered.

 

[asher]

Oh! They are lovely! As is the turkey in your av.

Bless you for taking them in!

 

[jjthink]

Quote:
You and your wife are both really wonderful.

Sadly, countless nesting beings are mowed down when fields are cut before nesting completes. It's a difficult situation with crops that would go bad with waiting, tho this is by no means always the case. Similarly, all the tree services that trim and cut trees down during nesting season, sending baby birds to a plummeting death. Most tree work can wait until after nesting but most companies don't advise their clients to wait, and most property owners don't think about it when they contract those services. We humans cause death and destruction in the course of so very many routine things we do.

JJ

 

[Finn]

Just a thought/question...is their waterer big enough so they can submerge their bills and drink properly. Just wunderin'

 

[SamG347]

I would put a featherduster or a fluffy stuffed animal for them to cuddle up against. Just so they feel secure. Good Luck with them and yes there is no way around the animal vs. hay-bine. It always seems some animal gets killed during hay season.

 

[Struttn1]

Quote:
Their waterer is big enough that they are getting their bellies in it and making quite a splashy mess so yes I would say they are drinking properly. I walked in on them at 2:00 am this morning and they were all getting wet and wild with the waterer.

I have given up on keeping nice clean drinking water for them. They prefer it full of food and nasty looking.