Ducklings imprint on the first moving thing that they see after hatching, this is usually the mother duck. Imprinting helps ducklings know who their mother is.
But what about when ducks do this with humans? This article explores everything you need to know about a duckling imprinting on a human
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Duck imprinting on humans:
Baby animals don’t usually know who their mother is right after being born. These baby animals will accept being taken care of by whoever is around, and whoever is around is usually their mother.
But ducklings need to imprint to know who to follow around, this is what you need to know about this phenomenon:
What is duck imprinting?
Imprinting is nature’s way of getting ducklings to follow the correct animal, ie their mother duck, after they hatch.
When ducks hatch they need to figure out who their mother is and who to follow around and trust. These birds have a sensitive period, usually around 12 to 36 hours after they hatch, to imprint on something.
These little birds will imprint on the first thing that they see, the first thing that they see is usually their mother duck.
Once ducklings have imprinted on their mother, the ducklings will follow her around and she will teach the ducks how to eat, will lead the ducklings everywhere and the ducklings will learn overall how to be ducklings through watching her.
These baby birds will think that they are of the same species as whatever they imprint on and will start to act like the thing that they imprint on.
The ducklings will fully trust whatever they imprint on. The ducklings will become more and more attached to their mother (whatever they imprint on) gradually putting more effort into following the mother and becoming strongly attached to her.
This is why ducklings follow their mothers so willingly even walking into oncoming traffic if she does.
Imprinting can be good as it keeps ducklings from wandering off but can be dangerous if the mother is in danger and the ducklings simply follow along
Can a duck imprint on a human?
Yes, ducklings can absolutely imprint on humans, and it has happened. These little birds can imprint on any object that moves in front of it once hatches
These little birds may even imprint on an inanimate object if the object moves in front of it right after hacking.
If you’re the first thing that a duck sees after the bird hatches then the bird will imprint on you.
This can happen whether you are raising ducks and are in front of the newly hatching eggs on purpose, or whether you happen to be the first thing that the bird sees while you’re out in the wild.
A duckling imprinting on a human may be great because the bird will learn to love humans but it is better to have the duck imprint on a duck that can teach it how to become a duck
A duck that imprints on you will follow you around, pooping everywhere, and will expect food to come from you and not learn to find food through their mothers who would otherwise teach them to forage.
The bird will also follow you around because ducks enjoy companionship and they don’t like to be alone. You may even be expected by the duckling to eat next to it and sleep next to it as it is attached to you
What to do if this happens?
A duckling imprinting on a human is not recommended, these birds will try to be and act like you when they should be trying to be and act like other ducks
If a duckling in an egg hasn’t imprinted on your yet then you should try your best to keep from being present where and when the bird hatches.
You can come around the duckling after the sensitive period (the first 12-24 hours of the bird’s life after it hatches) has passed, an imprinting bond won’t develop as easily after this time.
Leave the birds with each other until this sensitive period has passed.
If the birds have imprinted on you then you can make the bird less needy by spending less time with it and giving it time to spend with its flockmates.
Make sure that the bird is safe during this time and make sure that the bird has all the food and water that it needs during this time. The bird will eventually start to get used to being away from you.
How long does duck imprinting last?
Adult ducks who have long left their mother’s care will still show signs of imprinting, to a certain degree, throughout their life. Thus the imprinting seems to last well into the bird’s life and even till the birds die.
If you enjoyed this article then you may also be interested in other duck related articles. Here are some articles that you may be interested in: Why Did My Duck Die?, Why Do Ducks Keep Coming To My House, Duck Imprinting On Dog, How To Tell That A Duck Is Stressed, Do Ducks Know If Their Eggs Are Fertile?, How To Get Ducks To Lay Eggs In Winter