I wanted to know if anyone has any advice as to what is best to feed a newly hatched duckling. I'm doing my research as best I can at the moment. Granted this is a wild duckling. It out in the middle of the road almost hit by cars and snagged up by a cat. We looked around for a solid 2 hours to find it's mom/siblings and found nothing so we're wanting to give it it's best shot at growing up. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

When my ducks were born we fed them through a syringe but if you are struggling I would say give the animal to a wilderness center not sure what they are called at the moment, kind of just woke up lol

So far we haven't been struggling to get it to eat/drink for us. We have a meal worm farm because we use them as treats for our bearded dragons.

Hi Fawn!

Kudos on finding the little fellow. I think you're already off to a really great start if you've gotten them to eat and drink already. That's the most difficult part.

I'm not sure how old they are but it's probably not a bad idea to try and get them started on a conventional chick starter if possible. Mealworms are great treats for little ones but I wouldn't recommend them exclusively. That could leave holes in nutrition needs and in turn lead to wing/leg deformities.

You might find that it's easier to transition if you put the worms in the feed at first. If you continue feeding them it would be best to provide grit alongside those. Mostly because the younger ones haven't usually had the chance to consume much yet and it's essential to break those exoskeletons down.

Another thing to consider might be electrolytes that you would put in their water. The thought behind that is because it was likely separated from it's mother for some time and probably went awhile without any food or water. Because they have such a high metabolism it can really take a toll on them when they fast at a young age.

If you have any questions on the subject you're more than welcome to message me. Would love to see how it goes.

Little update <3 We got a second one about the same age and both are doing very well!

Oh they are adorable! Best of luck in caring for them!

They've done so well <3 Released today at my in laws pond and they are super happy!

Lucky ducks! Glad they're doing so well <3

Awe, this is such a heartwarming story! Lucky ducks!

Here's another pic from yesterday :D