posted
My little brother has found and nursed a duck back to life. Cutest little thing. I do have some questions for anyone who might have duck experience.
* Do ducks wag their 'tails' like dogs do? When we approach our duck, quite often he wags his little hindquarters. He'll raise his head to the greatest height that his neck will allow and wag his tailfeathers. How do you tell when your duck is happy to see you?
*Is cat food o.k. to feed a duck? That's what we've been feeding him. Greedy little sucker, he eats *a lot* more than a cat. Considering that he probably weighs a little less than a equivalently proportioned cat, I'm wondering not just whether cat food is o.k. to feed him, but whether it's o.k. to feed him as much as he can eat?
Posts: 13123 | Registered: Feb 2002
| IP: Logged |
posted
Ducks are omnivorous, eating both plants and small animals. Cat food is probably good for your duck, but it may need more plant material in its diet than cat food is likely to provide.
I have seen the tailfeather response in other birds, such as my sister's cockatiel, and I'm fairly certain it is at least an acknowledgement of a "friendly" presence. Whether it indicates pleasure or not, I don't know. [Addit] Some quick googling indicated that ducks have a "tail-shake" display behavior that is used by males when females are around. There was not much information, but it sounded as if the behavior was sexual only in a very vague sense. (Other, much more "explicit" displays precede mating behavior.) It probably does indicate friendliness, in your case.
posted
You may want to call a local vet or animal shelter, they're also great for information. Satyagraha
Posts: 1986 | Registered: Apr 2001
| IP: Logged |
quote: Some quick googling indicated that ducks have a "tail-shake" display behavior that is used by males when females are around. There was not much information, but it sounded as if the behavior was sexual only in a very vague sense. (Other, much more "explicit" displays precede mating behavior.) It probably does indicate friendliness, in your case.
posted
I guess my step-mom and dad raised a bunch of ducklings a few years ago - they attached themselves to the dog and followed the dog all over!
Posts: 5609 | Registered: Jan 2003
| IP: Logged |
posted
Aw, you guys are mean... Geez. Eatin' the duck... (sighs) But I say you should call a vet or get a book. I don't know anything about ducks, so I can't really help you personally... Sorry.
Posts: 4816 | Registered: Apr 2003
| IP: Logged |
posted
So cute. I had several ducks as a kid (not for long, they grow full sized in only a few months).
We got duck food at local farming supply stores, since they're the same stores that sold ducks. We fed them lettuce and some other greens as treats. My mom set up a little area in the backyard that was fenced in, with a small pool of water (only a few inches deep). Ducks are adorable, and often imprint on you. You can feed them by hand (bread, and other large-enough food objects) if you don't mind getting nipped a little.
Careful, though. I lost one duck to drowning (it couldn't get out), and one duck to a racoon (evil, evil racoon). We ended up letting them loose at a local park (yes, it's not the Correct thing to do), where they flourished after asserting themselves in the bird-heirarchy. I visited frequently, and could always tell which ones used to be mine.
Posts: 1892 | Registered: Mar 2002
| IP: Logged |
posted
Yeah, I see no reason to include the word "black" otherwise. I did a search for Irami's thread, but couldn't find it. Maybe it fell off the end of the forum.
Posts: 5656 | Registered: Oct 1999
| IP: Logged |
(I'm not making fun of Irami's thread, btw. I just thought the thread title sounded humorous and nostalgic.)
Suneun,yeah, he is very sociable. I can feed it by hand. He is very greedy, though. One of Rivka's links mentioned that ducks can drown in their own fat, unless they are fed properly. I well believe it.
We can't release it back into the wild. As a consequence of the car that hit it, one of his wings mended at a permanently crooked angle such that he cannot fly, though he can flap his wings and takes great pleasure doing so. A duck that can't fly is pretty much gator chow. And besides, he's rather grown on us and seems to be happy. Posts: 13123 | Registered: Feb 2002
| IP: Logged |
posted
Check the local ag co-op (Southern States, FCX) and they should have duck food. Most likely it will be Purina's Duck Chow... seems that company makes a "Chow" for about every animal you can think of.
As a kid, I remember, we'd take Trout Chow out to the pond behind the barn and feed the fish. The ducks loved the stuff, too.
Posts: 2848 | Registered: Feb 2003
| IP: Logged |
posted
I had some ducks and geese as a child. Here are my memories:
1) If it wags its back feathers, it may be happy. It may alse be just about ready to...um...fill its Duck Diaper.
(Surprisingly, those two things go together often in nature)
2) Geese are mean.
3) Duck Food that we used is mostly dried corn.
4) Geese are really mean.
5) Purina does make a variety of "chows" for many animals. (The Purina test farm is about 15 miles from my house, and about 3 miles from my parents/my old house.). I was visiting a friend in the hospital once and saw people in the back carrying bags of "Purina Lab Chow." Guess they had to feed the techies something.
6) Geese are evil, oh yeah, and mean.
7) Ducks with clipped wings in an open area are either gator meat in the south, or dog food in the frozen north where their protective waterways freeze up.
8) Ducks are cute and loveable, but Geese hate everyone.
Posts: 11895 | Registered: Apr 2002
| IP: Logged |
posted
I completely agree. The local park also had geese which were the most vile tempered animals. They'd shove everyone else aside just to get to the bread and gnaw your fingers off for it.
Posts: 1892 | Registered: Mar 2002
| IP: Logged |
I think I've figured it out -- it's a defense mechanism. The longer-necked birds know it's easier to wring their necks, so they get all hissy and bite anytime someone approaches.
Posts: 32919 | Registered: Mar 2003
| IP: Logged |
Printer-friendly view of this topic
![[Angst]](graemlins/angst.gif)
![[Eek!]](eek.gif)
![[Cry]](graemlins/cry.gif)
![[Mad]](mad.gif)
![[Smile]](smile.gif)
![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif)
