Went to the Barn this evening and found baby ducklings about 8 or so, the mother is penned up with them away from the other ducks. Now what to do with them. Any suggestions on raising and caring for the little ones?

-- Lisa Huffman (thumper1@bright.net), November 24, 2000

Answers

Lisa, I have had both good and bad luck raising ducklings. Keeping them with the duck works for me most of the time. Provide a good waterfowl crumble (chicken crumble has too much protein in it). If you must use chick feed, provide plenty of greens, and be sure the feed IS NOT medicated. My ducks usually do a good job for the first two or three weeks, then ignore the poor things. Most of the time, when the weather is good, they do just fine-free range in a fenced yard-(but the past year or two I seem to have lost most of them to hawks or the neighbors cats). I have also brooded them in the house with success-in the same manner one broods chicks. You just don't keep them as warm for as long. The problem with this method is that ducklings play in their water. This creates wet,cold ducklings (who have no oil glands of their own yet) and STINKY boxes. If you can set up an adequate place for them in the barn with mom they should be fine. Have fun with the babies, I love ducklings much more then chicks (even if all of mine are 'wild and flighty' things) betty

-- betty modin (betty_m9@yahoo.com), November 24, 2000.

We had a burgeoning mallard flock years ago. I would recommend that you continue to seperate the mother and her brood from other ducks as very often others would try to (and succeed) in killing the babies. If you have only one hen with babies, the problem may be less, but don't take chances. Seperate them.

I hope you are somewhere WARM! We fed them on a slurry mix of duck mash from the local feed store stirred up with warm water two or three times a day, offered in shallow pie pans so that they couldn't drown in it (they can be dumb). Keep them clean and dry and warm enough if you're in a chilly environment (our ducks never brooded unseasonably -- heck, it's 20 degrees F. out right now! A foot of snow. They'd be duckscicles.).

What kind of water source do they have? Make sure that it is something very shallow, as the babies cannot hop out of dishes even 4- 5" deep when young and will drown. Something more like an inch to two is max (we used the lids off of garbage cans).

Another problem we had with the babies were black flies or gnats crawling into the ears and killing the babies (bizarre, yes.). In those cases we had to give them little greaser-ears with vaseline to keep them out.

-- Julie Froelich (firefly1@nnex.net), November 25, 2000.

I've raised about 30 or so in a cage of hardware wire set up on 2"x4" either on the floor or table top. I put newspaper under half for firm footing. For feeding I just used a chick waterer (the glass jar type) and a chick feeder (also the glass jar type). For feed I use birdseed and they seem to do fine on it.

My problem is I have a good-sized pond near the shop building (where they love to nest on the shelves - Muscovies). As long as they keep the brood around there they do OK. Once she takes them down to the pond they disappear quickly. Thus, for replacements or give-a-ways I either need to pen them up with momma or raise them separately.

-- Ken S. in WC TN (scharabo@aol.com), November 25, 2000.

Ken what type of muscovie do you raise, The white or the wild Black. I raised the Wild Black years ago and they are something to watch. The problem I had was that they flew to the river about 10 miles away each day and also the fish pond of a neighbor 2 miles down the road to eat the fish food. But they are good mothers and I never had trouble with the mothers raising them.

-- Nick (wildheart@ekyol.com), November 25, 2000.

Thanks to all of you who took time to help with my question. You really helped us and I think we should be able to handle it ( I hope). The little babies are quite active today. All of them seem to be doing fine. Thanks again!!

-- Lisa Huffman (thumper1@bright.net), November 25, 2000.

We had lots of ducks when was a kid, muskovies, indian runners etc. The mothers and their broods were kept in a small coop which was moved to a clean patch of grass each day. This was just for a few weeks then they were in the run with the other poultry. Cute though they are tiny ducklings seem to just curl up and die if humans handle them!

-- John Hill (john@cnd.co.nz), December 01, 2000.

you should give them a little cage or box that is see-through and give them a heat lamp or they will die, even indoors when they are small. GIve them lots of greens and bread for food.

-- Darren (dkmlam@hotmail.com), June 10, 2001.

Hi, I am raising 2 wild ducks that my mom found. One was almost killed by his mom and the second was found next to her moms dead body. I have been raising them in a cage with news paper on the bottom and have been feeding them bird food. I also have kept a dish of shallow water in their cage for them to try to swim an drink out of. They also like a bit of grass now and then in their water and just in their cage. I keep their cage in my screened in pourch. However when it is warm out side I place their cage out side on the grass, with out the news paper bottom. They seem to enjoy this very much. Also, I have filled up my bath tub with a bit of water and put some rocks that stuck out of the water so thay could get out and dry if they wanted and let the4m swim with me right there. My two ducks are two different ages 'Kurt' is much larger than 'Bob' but they get along wonderfully.

-- Freya Payne (sk8erchick13@hotmail.com), June 11, 2001.