[LottieLotto]

I've come here in desperation. I can't find the info i need anywhere else and i'm hoping someone can help.

We have a 2 week old baby duck, which someone found and brought to us. At the moment she lives with us in our house. I've hand reared her and she now thinks i'm her mum. She cries when i leave her and she follows me everywhere. I've managed to get her into a kind of routine and this is how it goes. . . She sleeps in a shoebox lined with a towel, inside a bigger box which is lined with straw. She sleeps in the living room all night long now thankfully, and wakes us at around 7am each morning.  I take her out of her bed for food and water, and a runaround for an hour and then she goes back to bed for 2 hours, then up she gets up again. Next up is swim time. I fill the bath and she has a swim about, i dry her off and then its back to the living room to play again. After her next 2 hour snooze she has another bath, and when she's dry i take her into the garden, and this is where i need your help.
I love Maisie duck, but it isn't fair to keep her indoors as she's wild baby duck and needs the outdoors and a pond of her own. We have 6 hens living in their swanky chuck commune in our garden and they roam free. We want Maisie to live with our chucks, but when we take her into the garden she won't leave my side.
I purposely tried not to be a surrogate mum to her but how can i ignore a crying baby duck. ..It's impossible. Please can someone give me some advice about how to introduce her to our chickens. Do i continue to take her in the garden knowing she'll not leave my side or do we put her in the chuck commune overnight and worry?

[Vember]

Hi LL

Welcome to the Hen House

At 2 weeks I think she's a bit young yet for going out into the big wide world on her own

Is it possible for you to find her a friend similar age ? 
Be careful you don't leave her alone in the garden as predators such as magpies have been know to take ducklings of that age and older

Where abouts in the world are you? Maybe someone could help out by finding her a friend

Chickens and ducks will get on fine but it is best they have some of their own type for company


Sarah

[Kate and her Ducks]

I agree with Sarah that she is a bit young to be out alone. She has imprinted on you and it will take a bit to separate that bond. She needs her own kind if you can. Where are you?

[LottieLotto]

Hello Sarah and Kate and thankyou for your replies

I know she's a little young yet, i've read that at 5 weeks she can go live with our chucks, just now we're introducing her slowly. But in two weeks time my daughters dog is coming to stay for a fortnight and while she gets on ok with the chucks in the garden, i'm worried about how she'll take to Maisie, especially as they'll be living in the house together (Mimzy dog has never seen Maisie duck before) :blink:

Maise is an orphan duck. She was found at our allotment abandoned. She stayed here overnight and i took her back the next morning on the vets advice, hoping that her mum would come back for her but she didn't.
Getting her a friend isn't an option as we won't go out looking for abandoned ducks lol, and i don't want to buy one. ..I've enough on with the feathered friends i've got. ...My husbands originally, but its me who has to care for them 

My daughter has a friend who has ducks at her allotment and she's offered to take Maisie. I feel sure that she'd be happier there among other ducks, but when i mentioned it to my husband he didnt seem keen.


I live in Yorkshire 

[Kate and her Ducks]

I really think that you should let her go and live with you friend with other ducks or buy at least one more duckling so she has company. I had a solitary orphaned duck last year (evil magpies!) and it was heartbreaking to see him alone and how desperate he was for company. The difference in him when he had friends was amazing.

[Vember]

I agree 100% with Kate, chickens just wont give it the real company it needs even once it's fully grown

You've done an amazing job rescuing it and taking it in but she needs her own type to play with


Sarah

[LottieLotto]

I think this too, but it breaks my heart to think about letting her move to a new home. I've grown to love her very much.

Thankyou for helping me. I think i'll ask my daughter to introduce me to her friend and i'll ask her to show me where she'll live if we decide to let her go.
How a little duckling can have such an affect on me after two short weeks is staggering.

I'm totally bewildered, but must decide whats best for Maisie.

Thankyou for your help, i very much apreciate it.

Lottie

[Kate and her Ducks]

They are incredibly addictive! I love my ducks and can't imagine being without them but they need each other more. If you can't bear to let her go then maybe it would be an idea to get her a couple of friend. I say couple as she is likely to fly off when she is old enough as they should when she is old enough so best to get 2 so no-one is left all alone.

[poultrygeist]

Hi Lottielotto.

We are in a similar position at the moment, having rescued an abandoned duckling (despite numerous attempts at reuniting mum and baby ).
If you want to read about it, all the morbid details are here
http://chat.allotment-garden.org/index.php?topic=18774.new;topicseen

If you were closer, I'd suggest getting together, but I don't think we could get to yorkshire so easily. I love havign them as company, but sadly they don't always feel the same. 

ROb

[poultrygeist]

I think they do gradually venture further away. You do realise you have to teach it how to dabble in the mud ? 

You'll love it 

Keep us posted on what happens. We're a big but close family. 

Rob

[poultrygeist]

They are very scared of anything that isn't mum or another duck, even domestic ducks from what everyone says.

I'm desparate to get our little houdini not to run into a corner in fright when I turn up but after its experiences, i can't really blame it 

Sounds like you're a brilliant duck mum. Well done.

Rob

[Vember]

Yay you wont regret it honest you wont

Twice the fun    Should I mention twice the mud Narr best not don't want to put you off now

Maisie will love you even more for giving her a friend

Sarah

[poultrygeist]

Sounds like she'll (could be a he ) be very happy.

Can you post any photos of her ? Please ? Pretty please ?

Rob

[poultrygeist]

   She's a real cutie !

She will become more independant as the weeks go by I think.

Double-edged sword though    You get your life back but your baby grows up. 

Such is life.

Rob