Re: Help needed - baby ducks!
 

aha - it's looking like a mutation, where shelducks realise handing their chicks over to suitable humans, with a nice garden, saves them a lot of work :D

- seriously, though, it sounds like they have both food & water, sorted - nice one :tu:

Re: Help needed - baby ducks!
 

Incog

Thanks for that link. I now have a couple of additional local phone numbers to call tomorrow if things do not go according to "plan A".

The duckies are now all quiet in two little huddled groups - one in the rhubarb and the others (strangely) in the middle of the lawn. I wonder if they would like a hot water bottle to snuggle up to? I'm almost daft enough to do it!

Re: Help needed - baby ducks!
 

I think what they can eat depends on what type of bill they have according to the quick search I've done on Ask.com.

http://www.nysite.com/nature/fauna/mallard.htm

http://www.kiddyhouse.com/Farm/ducks.html

http://www.liveducks.com/faqs.html

Incog.

Re: Help needed - baby ducks!
 

Update!

I was up and about at 4am. All the fluffy humbugs had survived the night OK. :D

Parent ducks arrived in the larger side garden at around 4.30. For 30 mins I let them settle/ call to the duckies in the enclosed rear garden, then I opened the joining garden door. Last night I had left that door unlocked and just held in place by a couple of bricks and with a rope attached to the handle and through the house patio door - so I could gently pull the garden door open without going outside and causing a disturbance.

There was a family reunion in the side garden then they all started to move off through other gardens initially then out onto the pavement. Within 50 yards there were 2 parents leading 6 chicks - but there were 8 chicks leaving my garden. I still have not found the mising 2.

Parents and 6 chicks were "escorted" down 2 roads, across a normally busy main road and then into a small housing estate that is next to some allotments/ a playing field and then a nature reserve. By 'ek, they can't half run those little 'uns. I finally 'lost' them when they went under a back door into a garden that backs onto the playing field. Being only 5.15 am at this time I did not think the occupiers would appreciate being woken to ask "can I check my duckies are OK". One parent flew off at this time - I think I was getting a bit too close.

OK, so that lot are probably OK and will all make it to the nature reserve - :D what about the 2 who have gone AWOL? No idea. I have search my garden and they are definitely not there and yet I know 8 left the back garden and there were only 6 with the parents some 50 yards later. More searches after I have had some rather early breakfast.

Re: Help needed - baby ducks!
 

Sometimes the parent duck hides the young ones under her - did you spot a four/six legged duck? :D Fingers crossed that a moggie hasn't got them as an early breakfast. Glad that the rest have made it though :tu:

Re: Help needed - baby ducks!
 

The family were 'legging' it so fast there is no way that mum could carry a couple of chicks. It was only max 2-3 mins between me opening the side gate and then closing the patio door, grabbing a coat and being out in the side garden/ side road. If a moggie had been around and done any damage then the parent ducks would surely have reacted. In practice they looked cool & calm and had moved into the next garden - but only had 6 chicks with them. I'm off for a bit of a hunt before I start work. It is going to be a long day!

Re: Help needed - baby ducks!
 

Going like the quackers huh :D :rolleyes:

How hard can it be to find two noisy fluffy humbugs? :erm:

Re: Help needed - baby ducks!
 

Quick update - all 8 chicks are in the garden of the house where I last saw them disappear under the gate. Maybe I just can't count at 5am. No sign of the parents but no doubt they are 'lurking'. That garden is almost fully enclosed so the chicks cannot really go anywhere. I am about to put a note through the house door offerening to collect the chicks and move them further on their route to the nature reserve - only another 1/4 mile so I am sure the parent ducks will find the chicks.

Re: Help needed - baby ducks!
 

I guess a load of fast moving fluffy humbugs are a bit tricky to count :)
Hopefully not all Sheld duck parents are this lackadaisical when it comes to caring for their offspring.

Re: Help needed - baby ducks!
 

But someone told me that ducks can't count above three :Yikes:

(Not sure I believe this mind. Struggles to imagine how they found out)

Re: Help needed - baby ducks!
 

Postscript

The ducklings were rescued from a set of gardens and moved 300-400 yards further on to a playing field close to the edge of a nature reserve. Parents were "flying around" the gardens and general area so the hope is/ was that they will find the chicks. That would be fairly easy if the chicks had stayed on the edge of the palying field because they are very visible. However, no, the silly **s wandered off as a group into the nature reserve. That is not much further but is all long grass and generally is not in the direction of the streams/ marshy areas. I think it will be damned difficult for the parents to find the chicks in all that vegetation. Anyway, I cannot really follow them in there (restricted area) so I guess that is "it" so far as my involvement is concerned.

It has been a l-o-n-g copuple of days. I am knackered with late last night and up again at 4am this morning. Now I can have a 'lovely' day staring at spreadsheets while I try to sort out my business accounts for the taxman.

Re: Help needed - baby ducks!
 

I think you need to set up your wallpaper first :)

http://images.google.co.uk/images?sv...ck&btnG=Search

Re: Help needed - baby ducks!
 

snodvan for you and only you. :D

Incog. :)

Re: Help needed - baby ducks!
 

Well done on your duck mission.
You have saved their lives.

Re: Help needed - baby ducks!
 

he deserves it too - nice one Incog :tu: