Ducklings living in garden

TheChizler

My mother had a small raised pond in her back garden in which up to recently a female mallard duck lived. The duck disappeared for a month and reappeared today with 10 ducklings in tow! She has no idea how they got into the garden, there's a side gate that completely blocks one side and an 8 foot wall, and a 4 foot wall between us and the neighbours. The ducklings are trying to jump into the pond to be with their mother but they're only managing to jump 6 or 7 inches so I don't think they hopped the wall. I think she must have been nesting in a tree over our garden shed and they jumped down.

We're not sure should we build a ramp for the pond or not, they might not be developed enough to not drown so she put out a cooking tray with water and they're all happy out sitting in that.

We're considering moving them to a small stream that runs next to the front garden but it is relatively deep, steep banks, then runs quite fast through an underground culvert so I don't think it would be great for them at this stage, plus there are often male mallards there I'd be afraid they'd kill them.

She's going to ring the <snip> tomorrow but the problem is there is no food source in the garden. Should she put out something, some chopped veg and mealworms or something, or does the mother fly away and bring back food? I think she's happy to look after them if it's not detrimental to their development. I'm going to call over later with some food and a wider dish and see if we can make them more comfortable.

Thoughts on what to do very welcome!

Rodney Bathgate

No advice but please post some pictures!

TheChizler

Rodney Bathgate wrote: »

No advice but please post some pictures!

I'm in the process of screenshotting the videos she sent me!

Dial Hard

No advice either but it might be worthwhile posting in Nature & Birdwatching, some very knowledgeable posters there.

Also dying to see the pics!

They are very resilient creatures. Monitor them, but the fact she(the duck) laid, sat and hatched ducklings without your knowledge demonstrates she doesn't need help right now.

Make sure theres a ramp so they can get out of the tray of water.

Don't forcibly move them anywhere, they will find the right spot. Just be sure they can get out, if they want to of the container they're in.

Nozebleed

buy a go pro...im sure folks on boards can crowd fund a go pro...

TheChizler

With added picture goodness...

tk123

I’d build a little ramp for them to get in and out or even stack something they can hop up. It’s surprising when you see them getting up the weirs in the river beside us and hopping up on rocks. You can feed stuff like oats, peas and corn. If the veg is thawed it’ll float and frozen will sink and they’ll dive down for it. The swans here will leave some of the cygnets to fend for themselves at the weir (stressing us all out ), the ducks tend to keep the ducklings close. Herons, crows and magpies here would kill cygnets and ducklings so I wouldn’t leave them exposed if possible and give them some cover. There’s a ramp in work for the ducks to get in and out of the pond lol

Zapperzy

Absolutely no advice whatsoever but please keep us updated with photos :-)

https://kb.rspca.org.au/knowledge-base/how-should-i-keep-and-care-for-my-pet-ducks/

TheChizler

Gone for a sleep, all 10 under the mother!



Set up a little tray for them and another with some of the suggested food next to it, and a little ramp/cum obstacle course of they want to get in and out of the pond.




Having another nap...

wildwillow

We often have ducks hatch on our pond. She will be lucky to keep four or five alive as there are loads of predators. Ours would hatch 10 to 12 ducklings but by the end of a week only a few would remain.
These were usually reared to adulthood in our large garden.

Let her to her own devices. Keep dogs away, Don't use slug pellets or insecticides.

She will please herself about staying or making it to the nearest pond or stream. We once stopped the traffic on the adjacent road while a family made the trip to a nearby stream.

The drake used to appear in the evening for a stroll around the lawn, but took no care of the ducklings.

enjoy watching them but remember they are wild.

TheChizler

wildwillow wrote: »

We often have ducks hatch on our pond. She will be lucky to keep four or five alive as there are loads of predators. Ours would hatch 10 to 12 ducklings but by the end of a week only a few would remain.
These were usually reared to adulthood in our large garden.

Let her to her own devices. Keep dogs away, Don't use slug pellets or insecticides.

She will please herself about staying or making it to the nearest pond or stream. We once stopped the traffic on the adjacent road while a family made the trip to a nearby stream.

The drake used to appear in the evening for a stroll around the lawn, but took no care of the ducklings.

enjoy watching them but remember they are wild.

Thanks for the info, would other birds go for them? They're safe enough from dogs where they are, used to have a load of wild cats but haven't seen any in a while.

The only thing is they're trapped in the garden, I could open the side gate but there's no way into the stream as its fenced off.

They seem happy out now eating so we'll see where we are tomorrow, might leave the gate open when they've grown a bit?

Nozebleed

just got off the phone with joe duffy's research team...they want to know your address. they're sending a film crew over in the morning.

Mod note: see my post below

Rodney Bathgate

Nozebleed wrote: »

just got off the phone with joe duffy's research team...they want to know your address. they're sending a film crew over in the morning.

Fair play to them, working Sundays. Although I thought he was a radio show host? (I have never had to listen, thankfully.)

wildwillow

Keep an eye out and you will see her searching for a way out. She may fly out and then try to entice the ducklings through a tiny gap to join her.
Open the gate then and she will move if she wants to.
Often seemed to make a move in the evening.
Magpies and sparrow hawks are the main culprits for killing ducklings.
It is amazing to see them swim immediately after hatching.
As they mature they look very ungainly until they are able to fly.
Duck will often return to same place for years.

TheChizler

TheChizler wrote: »

Thanks for the info, would other birds go for them? They're safe enough from dogs where they are, used to have a load of wild cats but haven't seen any in a while.

The only thing is they're trapped in the garden, I could open the side gate but there's no way into the stream as its fenced off.

They seem happy out now eating so we'll see where we are tomorrow, might leave the gate open when they've grown a bit?

Herons eat them whole, and the duck won't be able to defend them. Also some gulls and the occasional crow!

It's a dangerous world for a duckling

TheChizler

Some made it up the ramp, the rest couldn't figure it out. They demolished the food anyway well have to top it up. Don't want them to become dependent though but they have no other source for now.





The design on the draught excluder is a complete accident.

DBB

Nozebleed wrote: »

just got off the phone with joe duffy's research team...they want to know your address. they're sending a film crew over in the morning.

Mod note: see my post below

Nozebleed, give up the smartarsery please. It's neither funny nor wanted on this thread or forum.
Do not reply to this post on thread.
Thanks.
DBB

DBB

Just a few things op... Momma Duck will have nested, brooded and hatched the ducklings on the ground, not in a tree. It's most likely that she flew into the garden about 5-6ish weeks ago, found a spot she liked, laid an egg each day for a couple of weeks, incubated them and hatched them, all under cover in the garden.
It's not inconceivable that the brood could be raised to fledging in the garden, but no harm to supplement their food with a commercial duck food... if you're anywhere in the Midlands, you're welcome to get some from me, but you can buy it in any agri feed store
The ramp looks a little steep for such small ducklings. Maybe try reducing the slope if you can. Ducklings are absolutely safe on after almost from hatching. They are naturally very buoyant, and get extra waterproofing on their down from Momma Duck's feathers as she shelters them. She might appreciate a plastic box with some straw in it, on its side so that she can shelter at night with her brood.
If they get to fledging, they can fly their own way out! Whilst I realise that mallards are wild animals, in an urban environment, and in a back garden, it's quite likely that they're semi tame, and are fine to assist with feeding, just as they would be in any urban canal, river, pond, or lake.

TheChizler

DBB wrote: »

Just a few things op... Momma Duck will have nested, brooded and hatched the ducklings on the ground, not in a tree. It's most likely that she flew into the garden about 5-6ish weeks ago, found a spot she liked, laid an egg each day for a couple of weeks, incubated them and hatched them, all under cover in the garden.
It's not inconceivable that the brood could be raised to fledging in the garden, but no harm to supplement their food with a commercial duck food... if you're anywhere in the Midlands, you're welcome to get some from me, but you can buy it in any agri feed store
The ramp looks a little steep for such small ducklings. Maybe try reducing the slope if you can. Ducklings are absolutely safe on after almost from hatching. They are naturally very buoyant, and get extra waterproofing on their down from Momma Duck's feathers as she shelters them. She might appreciate a plastic box with some straw in it, on its side so that she can shelter at night with her brood.
If they get to fledging, they can fly their own way out! Whilst I realise that mallards are wild animals, in an urban environment, and in a back garden, it's quite likely that they're semi tame, and are fine to assist with feeding, just as they would be in any urban canal, river, pond, or lake.

Thanks very much for the kind offer, we're in Cork City but I'm sure we'll be able to find something locally. I was reading that the vitamin B in something like brewers yeast is very important right now, would you recommend adding that to their food or getting something with it already in it?

I must look for the nest when they've left, it's a small garden there's nowhere at ground or flower bed level she could have nested. There's a loads of Ivy and low branches covering the shed roof it's the only place I can think of, unless she carried them in?

We have a box with some ornamental bark ready just want to leave them alone for a few hours, they're very tame but she was still calling them away every time we went out so don't want to scare her off.

BuboBubo

Nothing constructive to add except awwwwwww!

Fair play to you and your mother for being so kind and caring.

TheChizler

BuboBubo wrote: »

Nothing constructive to add except awwwwwww!

Fair play to you and your mother for being so kind and caring.

Cheers. The last one of us fled the nest (pun intended) during lockdown and so she's delighted to be taking care of babies again!

wildwillow

She will have nested on the ground. Check around all the plants.

The ducklings will be over two months old before they can fly so probably will need to leave before that.

august12

I so love these threads, it was a fox cub a few weeks ago.

DBB

TheChizler wrote: »

I was reading that the vitamin B in something like brewers yeast is very important right now, would you recommend adding that to their food or getting something with it already in it?

This stuff has what they need in it...
https://redmills.ie/products/agri/15-poultrygeeseduck-grower-pellets/

Ideally, a small bag of chicken crumb should be fed for a few weeks, before putting them on the above which is for birds in the growth phase, although it'll do no harm for them to have the growers pellets rather than no duck food at all

I must look for the nest when they've left, it's a small garden there's nowhere at ground or flower bed level she could have nested. There's a loads of Ivy and low branches covering the shed roof it's the only place I can think of, unless she carried them in?

She 100% didn't carry them in
Highly unlikely to have nested on the shed roof either. They'll nest under the cover of a shrub, in a hollow she'll have shuffled into the soil. They're very discreet and don't make their nests obvious at all, an adaption against predation.

TheChizler

Dial Hard

I would literally get NOTHING done for the next few weeks if I was living in that house.

Nothing!

messrs

Pics are so cute. Fair play to you for looking out for them. In terms of food just going by the sign in my local park where the ducks are its says not to give them bread but instead they can eat cut seedless grapes, any type of birdseed, peas, corn, oats or chopped lettuce

Hogzy

Fingers crossed you wont have the same reaction Tony Soprano did when the day comes for the ducklings to fly away :pac:

HildaOgdenx

TheChizler wrote: »

One of the most adorable photos I have ever seen on boards.

TheChizler

So as wildwillow predicted, this morning the mother duck flew out over the side gate and encouraged the rest of them out through an inch wide gap, I'm amazed they fit but I suppose they're mostly fluff. All captured on the Nest doorbell cam.

They proceeded out the driveway, trying to get into the stream. They live in a cul de sac and I think there's a way in to the stream from the neighbour's garden so fingers crossed they got there ok. Annoying as I spent some time yesterday making a hole in our fence and cutting the bank so they could get up and down easily, we were going to try and direct them to it in the coming days.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GesraX8lobM

https://youtu.be/GesraX8lobM

This is the stream they hopefully got into, and my attempts at a ladder in the bottom right.



Thanks for the help and interest every one!

TheChizler

Hogzy wrote: »

Fingers crossed you wont have the same reaction Tony Soprano did when the day comes for the ducklings to fly away :pac:

Know any good shrinks?

wildwillow

So surprised she still has the full brood.
Your garden must be safe and it's such a pity she moved. She is probably an experienced mother and will find the stream. It's amazing how nature works.

I have loved following this thread. Keep an eye out as they sometimes have a second brood, though it's probably too late and she will be happy with the ones who survive,

But the good news is that she will probably be back next year, or if not her, you may have one of her offspring nesting.

Well done.
By the way, perhaps a hedgehog will welcome that hole you made.

mymo

This is the best thread, just what I needed this morning ðŸ˜