The care and protection that a mother duck provides for her ducklings is priceless, these young birds are very fragile and helpless without the help of their mothers, but this care needs to stop at some point.
This article looks at when you can take ducklings from their mother
When to take ducklings from their mother:
Ducklings need to be taken care of by their mothers early on in their life, this is the case for all young animals, but all animals need to leave the care of their parents at some stage and move on to taking care of themselves.
Baby ducks can start taking care of themselves at around 1 1/2 to 2 months old. These ducklings, in the wild, will be able to catch their own food and swim with no issues.
The drakes (the male ducklings) will usually leave first and go to another pond and then the female ducks will follow suit when they are ready
If you want to take ducklings away from their mother do it when the birds are 1 1/2 to 2 months old.
Should I take ducklings away from their mother?
If you don’t absolutely have to take the duckings away from their mother then it isn’t recommended that you do so. Mother ducks are better equipped to raise ducklings and to teach the birds how to be a duck than a human is.
Ducklings who live with their mother are at an advantage because ducklings thrive the most when living with animals that look and act like them.
In addition, if you do try to take the ducking away from the mother duck then the mother duck can get worked up and make things difficult for you.
Taking care of the bird on your own can take a lot of work, you’d need to supply an appropriate heat source for the bird, give the bird correct food and navigate other troubles that come with taking care of these youngsters.
It’s best to simply let the mom do all the work of raising the bird.
However, if for some reason it’s absolutely necessary for you to remove a duckling from its mother, then you can do this and send the duck to a wildlife rehabilitation center to be taken care of by professionals who know how to take care of ducklings.
It isn’t recommended that you take a duckling away from its mother before it becomes independent at 1 1/2 to 2 months old but you can take the bird away from its mother once it does become independent.
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: Ducks Picking On Another Duck, Can You Get Sick From Touching A Baby Bird?, Why Do Birds Break Their Eggs If You Touch Them?,
