Releasing rescued wild ducks

[Quandry]

Hi, very new to this so hope someone can give advice. Back in June I rescued some eggs that had been exposed in some scrubland where I work. Female duck didn’t return all day as the area was so exposed. I put the eggs under my broody hen and they hatched. My dilemma now is how do I release them? I can take them back to a private lake near where the eggs were (and have the ability to feed them regularly until they fend for themselves) or do I find them a space in a local petting farm or some such. They have hardly been handled but are aware of humans. Any advice would be gratefully received.

 

[dorsetduckowner]

Hi good job for raising them!

I actually wrote a help guide for this and you can read it here:

https://poultrykeeper.com/duck-keeping/how-to-care-for-wild-baby-ducks/

release information at the end of the document

In the mean time taking them to the private lake and supplementary feeding them is the perfect option. Petting farm would not be a good thing for them.
Zo
x

 

[Quandry]

Morning Zo, thank you very much for your in depth article, it has helped enormously and I now feel more confident about releasing them in a few weeks time.

 

[dorsetduckowner]

You are very welcome!