shawnamaverick You should probably get some duck feed as ducks require different nutrition than other birds. Provide some small gravel for digestion. With our farmed ducks we have the heat lamp at about 90 degrees F the first week and decrease it by 5 degrees per week. It may be illegal where you are to keep a wild duck so you should check into that. Duck will need fresh water every and food that meets it's nutritional need. Depends on the type of duck, but if it's a water fowl it will likely roost on the ground so just a safe place for night. You may find that the duck will not accept the chukar. Ducks imprint very strong on what they see when they hatch. In this case it believes it is a duck. If it was hatched out by humans it would believe it was a human. Ducks can be very aggressive so be prepared for that. You may find you have a loudly quacking baby on your hands for a while, they are flock animals.

agility mom, you got my attention! How did you rabbit proof your gate? We have a wrought iron fence around our front garden, and after much rabbit-induced frustration we installed hardware fabric over it, and dug it down at least a foot, to prevent digging. It was a huge job, and it did take something away from the fence, but was worth it (we thought) as the problem went away - for a while! Last winter I did notice some rabbit tracks in the snow, and some damage to some of my roses, but blamed the kids for leaving the gate open. We could not dig the wire down under the gate of course, but brought the sharp, pointy edge of it down to about 1.5" above the walk. Because of a slight incline, we could not bring it down further, but assumed no critter could squeeze under that. Well, we were wrong! A week ago I looked out and saw a big fat rabbit munching away at my Belinda's Dream. The gate was closed, so I thought he had gotten in earlier, when it may have been left open. I decided to go out there to give him a good fright, thinking he would be trapped. Not so!!! He went under the gate without as much as a pause! HOW DO THEY DO IT????? Do they collapse their bone structure? Even their scull? Anyway, unless you have some magic way to fix the gate, I am giving up on my front yard garden. I'm enclosing a pic so you can see what I am talking about. Thanks. Elisabeth

If you own a .22 rifle, look for CB Long rounds; effective and no louder than a staple gun. Also note that relocating animals is technically against the law, not to mention you're handing over your problem to the next guy. Winter is a great time to cull the herd, because it's actually open season, and you're not going to leave behind a nest of helpless young to starve to death. I'm a rabbits in the yard hater, and a rabbits on the dinner table lover, but I do not want to leave a nest full of babies to die a long, miserable death by taking its mother away. Joe

They do use lead, regardless of laws. Rehabbers deal with this regularly. But Wood ducks are not divers or grazers (like Canada geese), so not sure from what source the lead would come. Possible she was poisoned? Or shot, and made it back to the nest? I don't think sparrows would/could kill even a little duck like a Wood duck. Sad to find that. Dirtgirl, may I make a suggestion, though? I say this every spring and summer, and people hate me for it, but I know you will not. I do not think it's ever a good idea to check bird nests that are accessible to predators, or that do not need to be maintained (like bluebirds). I know there was no indication of traumatic injury (like you would with a raccoon attack), but visiting nests regularly leaves a scent trail for mammal predators (like raccoons and even squirrels) and crows watch and figure out something is doing in there. And I am not at all suggesting that's what happened, but you know your stuff, and I know people will probably follow your example more than mine : ) Anyway, happy spring, and good luck with the W. ducks this year.