Orphaned ducklings :(

April 16, 2015 5:38 PM

Our dear, sweet Muscovy duck momma appears to have been snatched by a predator today, leaving behind 5 ducklings. What can we do to help ensure their survival?

When we moved into our new place last August after it was vacated by friends of ours, we inherited 3 muscovy ducks.. they had always been free-range on the property. We are very green when it comes to livestock, but they've always been extremely low maintenance and we've loved having them.

Momma duck hatched 8 ducklings about 3.5 weeks ago now, 2 of whom vanished a few days ago, and today another one is gone along with the mother, and there was obviously a pretty bad struggle.

So now I have no idea what to do.. As I mentioned, they are 3.5 weeks old, and while they grow noticeably bigger with each passing day, they still have their down, and I really worry about them now that their mom is gone. We do still have our drake, who usually keeps a bit of distance but treats the ducklings nicely when they're nearby during feeding time etc.

My main worry, I suppose, is whether they will be able to stay warm enough through the nights.. We live on Vancouver Island, BC, and they are calling for nice weather with temps in the mid teens all week during the days, but nights are still rather cold. Can they produce enough heat, or is a heat lamp something we should invest in ASAP? Probably won't be able to get one until tomorrow at the earliest.

I also worry about whoever got the mom knowing to come back for more.. likely either a bird of prey or a dog. They have a penned off area with a hutch in the yard, but the chicks are small enough to escape from it immediately and wander wherever they please, and for whatever reason none of the ducks have seemed to enjoy being in that area as they have in the past. They were hatched in a nest that was build right outside our front door under trees that is probably better protected from birds than the pen is anyway, so I hesitate to block them in there.. there are better places to hide throughout the rest of the yard that I would hate to deprive them of if the other nasty creature returns.

Any advice would be helpful here,, as I mentioned I have never raised any sort of livestock, but hope to keep some of our new friends around for a long time to come.

Thanks

posted by wats to Pets & Animals (9 answers total)

Chicks that small are most likely going to need heat - "nice" and "mid-teens" doesn't compute here in south Georgia! I keep chickens, grown birds are OK, chicks don't have enough body mass or insulation for that kind of weather. If you get one of the infra-red heat lamps, be aware that if they fall they can cause fires.

I live in an urban environment, but we still have hawks and the occasional oppossum. A neighbor had a possum get into her chicken house and wound one grown bird badly enough that it had to be put down. Some folks around here let their chickens free range, I keep my birds in a secure coop and run. Daughter would be very unhappy if one of her pets got eaten. I personally would not let a defenseless chick be out (or duckling) be out where it could be gotten by a predator.

If you google "backyard ducks" there are all kinds of resources.
posted by rudd135 at 6:22 PM on April 16, 2015

Best answer: I am assuming you have been feeding a chick starter along with the adult food. I would separate the ducklings from the drake in a smaller area where you can keep an eye on them, and weight them to make sure they are eating well. Feed chicken starter and give access to plenty of clean water at all times, avoid medicated chick starter though as ducks eat more than chicks & it will mess up the dosing.

Assuming you mean mid teens C I would still keep them inside near a heat lamp as duckling feathers aren't waterproof yet and if they go for a swim, the windchill would not be kind to them. They can't really regulate their own heat until around 7-9 weeks old.

You will want to keep them warm, a heat lamp is a good idea, if you use one make sure the area is big enough they can move away from the lamp if they get too hot & so can regulate their heat by where they sit. I tend to keep a lamp on chicks/ducklings until they get most of their external feathers as this helps to make the seal that keeps the air trapped in their down & keeps them warm. Some sort of enclosure in the corner their coop would be best, you can make something with plywood panels, or something wind and escape proof would be best, I'd avoid straw bedding if using a heat lamp. We usually use a cut down water tank. If something is preying on your ducks, leaving the babies outside unprotected is not a good idea.

Oh make sure water bowl isn't too deep they'll drown in it, without mum around to add oil to their feathers from her glands they are not waterproof yet & can become water logged & drown. The gland kicks in when the "adult' feathering appears & you see them start grooming their feathers.

Sorry if this seems short I didn't want to scare you with too much info, if you have any questions please don't hesitate to ask.
posted by wwax at 6:23 PM on April 16, 2015 [3 favorites]

"nice" and "mid-teens" doesn't compute here in south Georgia!

OP is in Canada so that translates to 60-65F.
posted by Justinian at 6:31 PM on April 16, 2015 [6 favorites]

Response by poster: Thanks for the advice so far,, very helpful.

The "coop"/pen area has always been rather ramshackle, as they'd always preferred to be anywhere but there (the female could fly out of it). It is definitely not secure from predators as I'm sure any that really wanted in could easily get in there. But we assessed it,, and it does have a bit more tree cover than I had previously thought, and common wisdom says that's where they should probably be right now.. so we cobbled up hopefully all of the holes in the wire and rounded them in. Lots of water, lots of food, and nice clean wood chips for bedding.

Now until I can get my hands on a heat lamp and an extension cord long enough, are there any alternative/improvised heat sources we might be able to put out there for them this evening? I had the (probably dumb) idea of boiling some kettles full of water and bringing them out to their hutch, but night is long.. not sure if that would do any good.. I don't really have any other obvious means of providing heat. Our resources are rather limited here at this time unfortunately...
posted by wats at 7:51 PM on April 16, 2015 [1 favorite]

Can you bring them inside and put them in an open topped cardboard box? An ordinary lightbulb will provide plenty of heat in that case. Just make sure, as wwax says, that they have enough room to move away from the heat source if they need to.
posted by bricoleur at 8:18 PM on April 16, 2015 [3 favorites]

My mum raises chicks and she keeps them indoors in a box when they are babies. If you can, I would bring them indoors. Even if you don't have a deep enough box, if you put them in the bathroom it's not like they could get into too much trouble if they escape and they aren't likely to while it's dark.

A regular lamp will work fine for heat. In the meantime, could you heat something heat retaining in the oven - maybe a stone or brick? Wrapped in a towel and put in the box that would provide them with good warmth.

If you have those glass pyrex containers with the plastic lids you could fill one of those with boiled water and wrap it in a towel, that would provide a quick source of heat for them to snuggle around while you work something else out (but don't combine that option with a lamp in the box!)
posted by kitten magic at 8:32 PM on April 16, 2015 [1 favorite]

And if you're worried about them not knowing how to cope if they are raised in a box inside - mum's chickens spend their babyhoods in boxes indoors and then move on to perfectly normal chicken adulthoods.
posted by kitten magic at 8:36 PM on April 16, 2015

There is a sizeable duck-keeping community at backyardchickens.com - the folks there are extremely helpful and might have some quick ideas as well. I'd cross-post a question or two there and see what shakes out.
posted by jquinby at 5:22 AM on April 17, 2015 [2 favorites]

They do need heat. And they are definitely a walking snack bar for whatever got the mom--I would bring them indoors, that is what my family always did with young birds. Until they are fully feathered and can fly they are very vulnerable (I know Muscovies aren't good fliers, but they still have some advantages as adults). If you have a kitchen with linoleum, that would be ideal, and a kiddie pool or refrigerator box would also come in handy. Birds are messy, but would you rather have a temporary messy room or permanently eaten ducks?

The backyardchickens people would be able to give you much better advice though. Go there, it's friendly.
posted by epanalepsis at 6:22 AM on April 17, 2015 [3 favorites]