Feeding a wild duckling....

[Jackie]

My friend runs a cat shelter where the cats run loose on her farm (AFTER they are fixed). She just found a ducking in the middle of a herd of cats. The duckling is fine, but he will never find his momma again. She isn't about to just turn him loose. What should she feed him?

[Michgranny]

This reminds me of the time I took a little yellow duckling away from some naughty kids! They said they caught 2 in the woods and 1 died. It was no wonder as they were just carrying it around!

I went to the local feed store and bought duckling food, they told me to offer some dandelions and grass also. I got a large box and put a heating pad set to low under one side, food and water on other side. I really did not think it would live!

Lo and behold, it grew into a Canada Goose! I finally found someone with a large pond to release it.

They are illegal to have and by the time I figured out what it was even the wild animal rescues wouldn't take it. They told me it was human imprinted and needed to be destroyed.

Good Luck!

[uncle Will in In.]

Rolled oats and cornmeal should keep it growing. We have uddles of Canadian geese on the lake at tyhe back of our farm. There is a white Chinese gander paired up with one of the Canadian Hens. That big bugger can fly right along with the Canadians. I'd love to see some of that pairs offspring. I was given a mallard hen that had been wounded by hunters. She healed up just fine, so I put her with a tame mallard drake in the barn. She hatched 9 little ducklings in the spring, and free ranged around the barnyard with them all summer. She would get up and fly, but never left the property. <>UNK

[Jackie]

Thanks guys! I am forwarding the messages onto her.