Ducklings 7 weeks old - what to do???

[LukeH]

Hi,

We have helped a wild mallard duck raise her 11 ducklings in our back garden. The ducklings are about 7 weeks old now but not yet able to fly. The mother is able to come & go, but when she disappears off (15 minutes a time once or twice a day), the ducklings quack and peep noisily. Our neighbours may not like this a 6am!

We know we should let them all go, but we also know there is a Fox close by.

Does anyone have any suggestions? eg, a nearby large park with a pond or a wildlife centre? It would be unfair to relocate the mother but is it fair to separate her from the ducklings?

The ducklings could easily be slaughtered by a Fox as they are unable to fly. Once they can fly, they are better off, but we are worried that the mother may have abandoned the ducklings before they can fly.

Any suggestions?

Many thanks

Luke, Derbyshire

[Gaina]

I'd be inclined to buy your neighbours ear plugs and let them sit it out, but then again I prefer ducks to people .

Being serious though, have you got a local wildlife rehab center you can contact? They will probably be able to give you the best advice - good luck!

[Kayleigh]

You cant just dump the ducklings
They need mum to show them the ropes leave them alone and mum will take them off when she is ready she came to your garden of her own accord I take it so she will leave when she is good and ready tell the neighbours it wont be for ever anyway they have not complained so far..

[ellen h]

It is usual for the mother to lead her ducklings to the nearest pond or stretch of water.
I have witnessed this when a duck walked her brood(9 ducklings)over half a mile,crossing a busy main road to get to the nearest pond.Luckily there were a number of animal lovers who walked at a discreet distance in front and behind them to make sure they got there safely-even stopping the traffic on the main road!!
No doubt the mother may be looking for the nearest water to take her babies to,so maybe its an idea to recce the area to find out where she may want to take them.
You can always phone your local wildlife or RSPB group for advice and help

[Kayleigh]

Originally Posted by ellen h

It is usual for the mother to lead her ducklings to the nearest pond or stretch of water.
I have witnessed this when a duck walked her brood(9 ducklings)over half a mile,crossing a busy main road to get to the nearest pond.Luckily there were a number of animal lovers who walked at a discreet distance in front and behind them to make sure they got there safely-even stopping the traffic on the main road!!
No doubt the mother may be looking for the nearest water to take her babies to,so maybe its an idea to recce the area to find out where she may want to take them.
You can always phone your local wildlife or RSPB group for advice and help

good advice ellen..

[LukeH]

Hi Everyone,

Many thanks for the replies here (and on the pond life section )...

The ducklings are in fine shape and flapping their wings in readiness for flight. I have been told by a specialist that we should only let them go once they can fly as they are very vulnerable to foxes before flight. The ducklings' mum knows where the nearby river is and nips off there a few times a day.

I hope she hangs around until they fly off. If she abandons them before they can fly, then we'll call the rspb for advice or post here again.

Thanks for the help.

Luke

[LukeH]

Hi,

A quack update:

We let the mother duck and 11 ducklings (aged ~60 days) go down to the river last Saturday morning and it's been a success.

The ducklings had been doing short flights in the garden and the mum had been spending more time away, so we thought that they were big enough and that we needed to let them go before the mum abandoned them.

Now they are now all on the river. They seem happy and have managed two nights without getting eaten. They haven't been back to our house, though (it's about 20m from the river). I hope they are getting enough to eat - they have been so well fed by us that they are about 1/8th bigger than the mum!

Thanks for all the words of advice. We are now trying to restore our lawn

cheers, Luke

[sunnydale]

So glad to hear the release went well Luke. I'm sure the family will be fine now they're on the river

The female may well come back next year and put you through the agony all over again! We have a female who comes into the garden every year!