11 Abandoned Ducklings

[dachsom]

I am looking for advice on caring for 11 ducklings abandoned by their mother. Yes, we are sure they are abandoned. The mother duck was taking care of them then all of a sudden she started ignoring them. As a matter of fact, the mother is acting like she is nesting again. Went to feed store today and bought special food for them. I have spent 2 days getting them to come to me so I can feed them and it seems that although they are still a little skiddish, they will come close enough for me to feed them. They are eating well. The other ducks in the pond completely ignore them also. The ducklings are 4-6 weeks old. I suggested to the property owner that we call a rehab for them but he doesn't want to do that. Since I am not working at the moment, I do have the time to devote to these babies and would appreciate any help or advice. I am doing research on the internet also. I will get pictures tomorrow and post them. Thanks in advance.

 

[ItalianScallion]

You're going to have to glue feathers on yourself and become their mother...
J/K
I don't think other adult ducks will "take them under their wings" but I could be wrong about that. I'd hate to think other ducks would try to harm them if you put them near other adult ducks. :shrug:

Here's what I did: I had the same situation many years ago but with only 2 ducks and they were noisy! I had to buy a kiddie pool (6' across and a foot deep) and use it as their pond. They were too small to be placed in a pond w/o their mother. You must get them used to the water asap though. Don't throw them in it, but encourage them to get into it gently and make it shallow, @ 1-2" at first, then gradually make it deeper when they realize they won't sink.

Don't leave them outside at night! Cats will kill them. I kept them in my garage under a warm light (shade the brightness but let the warmth in). Get some small wood chips (like the stuff used for hampsters) for them to sleep on. They will use each other for warmth so don't make the light too warm. 75 shaded watts is what I used.

I don't know where you live but any store that sells ducks, puts them in a big tub with the stuff I mentioned above. You can go to the Tractor Supply store in Waldorf (Next to the WaWa at 301 and Billingsley Rd) and see their setup. They also have the necessary food and stuff for them.

I fed them baby duck food; I think it was called pullet grower or feed? When they get big enough, you can release them into a pond with other ducks so they can see how to survive (since they had no mother to teach them).
Just put a shallow bowl of food out and they'll eat from it.

They'll eat grass, so let them run around your back yard but make sure you can gather them back. You'll have trouble catching them when you let them run loose until they learn to trust you and follow you.
Thank you for your act of kindness to those little fellows!

 

[dachsom]

You're going to have to glue feathers on yourself and become their mother...
J/K
I don't think other adult ducks will "take them under their wings" but I could be wrong about that. I'd hate to think other ducks would try to harm them if you put them near other adult ducks. :shrug:

Here's what I did: I had the same situation many years ago but with only 2 ducks and they were noisy! I had to buy a kiddie pool (6' across and a foot deep) and use it as their pond. They were too small to be placed in a pond w/o their mother. You must get them used to the water asap though. Don't throw them in it, but encourage them to get into it gently and make it shallow, @ 1-2" at first, then gradually make it deeper when they realize they won't sink.

Don't leave them outside at night! Cats will kill them. I kept them in my garage under a warm light (shade the brightness but let the warmth in). Get some small wood chips (like the stuff used for hampsters) for them to sleep on. They will use each other for warmth so don't make the light too warm. 75 shaded watts is what I used.

I don't know where you live but any store that sells ducks, puts them in a big tub with the stuff I mentioned above. You can go to the Tractor Supply store in Waldorf (Next to the WaWa at 301 and Billingsley Rd) and see their setup. They also have the necessary food and stuff for them.

I fed them baby duck food; I think it was called pullet grower or feed? When they get big enough, you can release them into a pond with other ducks so they can see how to survive (since they had no mother to teach them).
Just put a shallow bowl of food out and they'll eat from it.

They'll eat grass, so let them run around your back yard but make sure you can gather them back. You'll have trouble catching them when you let them run loose until they learn to trust you and follow you.
Thank you for your act of kindness to those little fellows!

They are actually doing well in the pond. The other ducks ignore them. I got the baby duck food today. I'm getting the feathers and glue tomorrow---LOL.

They stay in the water. I am slowly gaining their trust so they will come out of the water to eat since the duckling food sinks to the bottom of the pond. I have to be there when they eat since the bigger ducks will go after their food.

How do you tell if they are male or female without a physical exam (if you know what I mean)?

Thanks for the advice.

 

[ItalianScallion]

They are actually doing well in the pond. The other ducks ignore them. I got the baby duck food today. I'm getting the feathers and glue tomorrow---LOL.

They stay in the water. I am slowly gaining their trust so they will come out of the water to eat since the duckling food sinks to the bottom of the pond. I have to be there when they eat since the bigger ducks will go after their food.

How do you tell if they are male or female without a physical exam (if you know what I mean)?

Thanks for the advice.

Ok great! Then disregard all that other stuff I said...
What type of ducks are they? If they are white ducks, the males have a few of their tail feathers turned up at the end. The females have normal straight feathers. I don't think you can tell their gender while they are babies though.
Do they stay in the pond at night or do you take them to your home?
I would also ask how often they should be given duck food. They can eat grass whenever they want but I guess you could overfeed them...

 

[dachsom]

Ok great! Then disregard all that other stuff I said...
What type of ducks are they? If they are white ducks, the males have a few of their tail feathers turned up at the end. The females have normal straight feathers. I don't think you can tell their gender while they are babies though.
Do they stay in the pond at night or do you take them to your home?
I would also ask how often they should be given duck food. They can eat grass whenever they want but I guess you could overfeed them...

They are mallards. They have been staying in the pond at night. When they were first born, there were 12 of them. One disappeared about a week ago when the mother was still tending to them so I think they have done pretty well about staying out of sight of predators. They have been hiding under the overgrowth around the pond at night.

 

[Cowgirl]

At 4-6 weeks they should be totally feathered out, maybe just a bit of down still on their heads/necks. They should be able to fend for themselves, and will especially be fine if you feed them. You can get a waterfowl feed or cracked corn from a feed store. They'll be fine.

 

[dachsom]

At 4-6 weeks they should be totally feathered out, maybe just a bit of down still on their heads/necks. They should be able to fend for themselves, and will especially be fine if you feed them. You can get a waterfowl feed or cracked corn from a feed store. They'll be fine.

Thanks Cowgirl. I just came in from feeding them. I think I aged them wrong because they don't have feathers yet, only down. They are drinking water ok and eating. They saw me on my way to the pond and met me halfway. These little buggers are fast!! They also attempted to interact with their mother earlier this morning and she and her mate chased them off.

 

[Cowgirl]

Thanks Cowgirl. I just came in from feeding them. I think I aged them wrong because they don't have feathers yet, only down. They are drinking water ok and eating. They saw me on my way to the pond and met me halfway. These little buggers are fast!! They also attempted to interact with their mother earlier this morning and she and her mate chased them off.

Actually I think I may be wrong too. It might take them a little longer than that to feather out. How big are they compared to the adult ducks? Either way, with it being so warm out they should be fine with you giving them food. It's strange the mother is chasing them off. Are you sure it's their mother and not just a different female mallard? Perhaps the mother got killed by something.

 

[itsbob]

I am looking for advice on caring for 11 ducklings abandoned by their mother.

Lightly braised with a crab stuffing..

 

[toppick08]

Lightly braised with a crab stuffing..

Duck and dressing is good too........a Christmas favorite.........lots of sage.

 

[dachsom]

Actually I think I may be wrong too. It might take them a little longer than that to feather out. How big are they compared to the adult ducks? Either way, with it being so warm out they should be fine with you giving them food. It's strange the mother is chasing them off. Are you sure it's their mother and not just a different female mallard? Perhaps the mother got killed by something.

Pretty sure it's the mother. My landlord says it looks like she is nesting again and that may be why she abandoned her chicks. They are still quite tiny in size. I will get some pictures tonight at feeding time.

 

[ItalianScallion]

They are mallards. They have been staying in the pond at night. When they were first born, there were 12 of them. One disappeared about a week ago when the mother was still tending to them so I think they have done pretty well about staying out of sight of predators. They have been hiding under the overgrowth around the pond at night.

Mallards? They'll be easy to tell apart when more feathers come out.
Unlike human females, the male ducks are much prettier...They'll have those shiny green heads and the brown/blue wing feathers. The females are mostly brown.

 

[CrashTest]

If they go in the water, then they're probably safe from cats. At least my cat.