We found a baby duck on the sidewalk, does anyone know what to feed it? It looks like it was just hatched.
2006-06-09 11:23:03 · 8 answers · asked by Miss J. 3 in Pets ➔ Birds
DO NOT FEED IT CEREAL,BREAD,CRACKERS, etc....these are bad for the baby. Go to your local feed store and get some game bird starter crumbles, make sure it is not the medicated kind or it will kill the baby. Ducks make great pets. I have one of my own in my home. Pekins are not the only ones that make great pets. Chances are, if you found it on the sidewalk, it is a Mallard, and while it is illegal to have a wild Mallard, I think it's great you are taking care of the duckling. Make sure you get it some grit. Or you can just get it some sand. It has to have access to this at all times, especially if it's allowed outside. Keep all metal and shiny things away from it. Ducks love anything shiny and will die if something like that is injested. Please visit these sites, they will be VERY helpful to you!
http://www.liveducks.com/
http://www.geocities.com/petducksrus/
http://www.thegoosesmother.com/
2006-06-11 18:18:42 · answer #1 · answered by Sunnyshine 2 · 2⤊ 1⤋
You can try to get duck mash from the local feed store, and add water. Make sure that you put it in a shallow dish. You can also offer meal worms, or wax worms. Ducks love those.
Make sure that you do not put the duck in water until it is at least several weeks old. When they are young, their feathers are not waterproof, and they will not dry. They will get too cold, and pneumonia is likely.
The best thing would be to contact a wildlife rehabilitator. Even though ducks are really cute, when they get older, they are not meant to be pets, unless they are Peking ducks. I raised one under the supervision of a rehabber, and then she took it to a rescue place.
The other bad thing about keeping the duck is that it could bond to you, which seems like a good thing, but then it will not bond as well to other ducks. That is where it needs to be, with other ducks.
2006-06-09 11:42:44 · answer #2 · answered by clovicat 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Feed game bird starter, chick starter , or a commercially prepared waterfowl starter for the first 4-6 weeks. NEVER feed medicated chick starter or poultry feed, as this is fatal to your ducklings. Also anything moldy is FATAL to your ducks of all ages! Bread, although thought of as the ideal "duck food," is also dangerous to ducklings, because it expands in their crop and chokes them. Bread should never be fed to ducks of any age, especially those in parks and ponds. Use a plastic or galvanized feeder. Always provide clean, fresh drinking water. Use a shallow bowl to which you have added a few clean, small pebbles. This will prevent the ducklings from drowning. After ducks are in the pond or water source, you may feed floating fish food or dog food in very small amounts. Switch their basic diet to a good quality unmedicated waterfowl or poultry ration, usually available at most feed stores.
2016-03-15 02:17:45 · answer #3 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
We used to raise ducks, and when they were little, we mashed corn flakes REALLY well, dampened them with water and turned it into sort of a mash. Just be sure to smash the cereal up really well. DO NOT feed them millet (which is the main ingredient in a lot of wild bird food) it can expand and damage their bellies and throats.
They also need a lot of water....but use small containers, nothing like a dishpan, or the duckling could get in to swim and drown if he can not get out. Use something like a shallow pie pan, etc. for water when they are really young.
Some pet stores or farm/tractor supply stores also sell duck food, esp in the spring.
Good luck and enjoy! They are a lot of fun to watch growing up!
2006-06-09 11:30:44 · answer #4 · answered by MeMi96 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Go to a feed and seed store and get baby duck food. It is like in little crumbles or pellets. Also, when you are their get a feeder and a waterer. Also, the duck needs water to swim in so make sure it has that offered to it.
2006-06-09 13:43:48 · answer #5 · answered by Chelsea 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You can just feed it ground up corn like you would give horses just make sure it is ground up!!!
2006-06-09 11:27:46 · answer #6 · answered by jesse 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Bread until you can get it somthing better.
2006-06-09 12:43:27 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
food
2006-06-09 11:26:23 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
http://www.huntersponyfarm.com/poultry/caring4babyducks.html
Go there It will help!
2006-06-09 11:27:39 · answer #9 · answered by sammydoobean 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋