Baby Parenting Guide

How to care for 4 baby ducks?

My friend lives on a lake and they saw 6 ducks. 1 was a mother, the other 4 were ducklings. A couple days ago, they saw a eagle kill the mother duck. So they were 5 baby ducks left. The next day one of the baby ducks go killed by the eagle. So they decided to care for the duck. Any tips?

Public Response to How to care for 4 baby ducks?

1. keep them very warm and buy them chick feed also try www.liveducks.com/care.html
2. Contact a licensed wildlife rehabilitator immediately. You can find one here: http://www.tc.umn.edu/~devo0028/contact.htm or here: http://www.wildliferehabber.org/ Licensed wildlife rehabilitators have the specialized training to care for sick, injured and orphaned wild animals, and they have the required state and federal licenses that allow them to keep the wild animals until they are healthy enough to be released. Do not attempt to keep a wild bird and care for it yourself. In the US, ALL native migratory birds - not just endangered species - are protected under federal law (Migratory Bird Treaty Act), and it is illegal to keep any protected bird unless you have the required permits. Penalties for violating this law include fines of up to $500 and/or up to 6 months in jail for each offense. You can see the list of birds protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act here: http://www.fws.gov/migratorybirds/issues/nonnative/50CFR10.13.pdf You will notice a number of duck species, including mallard. It is imperative to get these ducklings to a licensed wildlife rehabilitator immediately, not just because it is illegal for your friends to have them, but because a rehabber is trained to keep the birds wild and not interact with them any more than absolutely necessary. If the ducklings become too tame, they will not survive in the wild.