Around Easter (shocking I know), time I acquired to baby Pekin ducklings. Apparently a few of my buddies (ex-buddies) thought it would be a great April's fools joke to purchase them and put them in my bedroom while I was at work... NOT FUNNY AT ALL... Then when they said they were just going to just drop them off at the local pond; I had to step in! I have raised/bred show pigs all of my life, so I have a pretty good understanding on what baby animals need... And I know that sure as hell wouldn't work out to well for them... So of course I couldn't let them ditch these innocent ducklings! So I have been taking care of them since then, practically the same way as all of the ^above posts, heat lamps, proper food, plenty of water, safe bedding, etc. The one huge problem I am having with them thus far, is how skittish they are around people (including myself). Now I am a full-time student with a job, so I may not always be home, but I make sure that I go and check on them before I leave in the mornings and make sure to sit with them as soon as I get home everyday. Eventually they may lay down while I am around them, but as soon I move they are gone! This is becoming a huge issue because I know they need/would love to forage, enjoy the sunlight, and simply exercise, but two ducklings are QUICK and there's only one of me!!! There's just to much traffic, loose dogs, hawks, and tight places where I live to chance it. Everyone say's to feed them by hand, but they have a huge duck feeder that I always keep full! So when I go to work with them by hand feeding them (with their regular feed); I feel like they aren't even hungry so its pointless!?! When we use to have a skittish piglet, we could give them Vanilla Wafers and BOOM! Problem solved! They couldn't get enough of them and soon enough, you couldn't get them to leave you alone! So... In conclusion, I have two questions: 1) Is there anything else I can do to help them become a little bit more comfortable around me? Maybe some kind of a special treat that is safe for ducks that they like? A different method possibly??? 2) I'm guessing they were born some time around Easter. They are still yellow, but are slowly starting to show a slight white tint in color and their tail feathers are kind of spikey (well, lets just say different from the rest of their bodies) Any idea how old they may be? Or how much longer until they get their down feathers and turn completely white? Any advice is welcomed, Thank You

We got 2 baby Mallards 4 days ago--may 4 days old. I read all the posts on this forum to figure out what to do. One died w/in 12 hours--it kept getting in the water and then was all soggy. The one left seems ok but now I'm worried that he is not eating enough. He has starter and greens, water and a heat lamp. I hold him an hour a day right next to my skin. Tomorrow we get 6 Buff Orphington pullets and I'm going to try to put them together so he has some company. I don['t know what else to to do for him.

They'll know how to swim. It's your job to offer a diet similar to what they'll be eating in the wild, supplementing with store-bought. Chances are when they get older they'll couple up with a wild one and learn from them. Imprinting may be a problem, I'd minimize contact with them as much as possible, and when they have feathers start to really let them out, free-range, instinctual feeding habits will kick in quickly. They'll probably return home for a while until they find a mate, a nice pond, or not. Make them a safe pen when they are older, maybe something like a chicken tractor you can move around while they eat grass or bugs? They'll need some type of heat source until they get some feathers (where are you located? is it still cold?). Protection from predators (a weasel can get in a 1x2" opening), water & of course what natural food you can scrounge up, and shade. If they survive in captivity when young I think they'll cope & adjust well. Sometime wild animals just don't do well in captivity, so be forewarned. That's all I can think of for now. Brendasue

I just saw this, but I heard that if you use some apple cider vinegar (give them some straight via a dropper), it can actually help them, depending on what is wrong with them. If you started them out on medicated feed and withdrew it too fast, that can cause them to die. We lost some nice chickens that way, so we don't use the medicated feed anymore. We also had a bunch of adult birds die because the feed store accidentally sold us some medicated feed, which we didn't know about at the time, and it killed off a bunch of hens. Organic raw apple cider vinegar is supposed to be very good for livestock and humans too.