Please help us!!! When my best friend and I were walking to school we found some baby ducks or geese and we don't know what they are. They are huge, almost as long as my five-pound bunny. But we know they are young because they have soft, yellow down, stubby wings, and no feathers at all. They obviously had no mother, they were at the same tree all day and coming right up to us. Sorry if I sound ignorant, but we are curious as to what they are. 1. They are yellow with orange beaks, and look exactly like those goslings in Easter commercials. 2. They are HUGE, which leads me to believe that they aren't little ducks. 3. They love water and both of them went swimming. 4. Another "clue" might be that we have a lot of Muskovy ducks around here in FL. But I don't know what the Muskovy babies look like.

Please, any help is wanted! Anything and everything, tell all details, about raising ducks as pets. What to eat, caging requirements, exercise and recreational requirements, what type of animals they might be, are there such things as "goose food" at the petstore, what things do I need to do to keep them healthy, do they ever emotionally attach themselves to people, etc. etc. Sorry that I'm so ignorant, but these ducks/geese have just popped into our lives.

-- Ashley Miller (ashleym@tampabay.rr.com), April 20, 2001

Answers

Response to Found baby ducks or geese and we need HELP!

Wow Ashley, sounds like an adventure!!! Since I don't know what kind of area you live in town or country?? feed store near by?? It is important with water fowl to feed them UNmedicated feed, not the medicated poultry feed. I have found with water fowl of any kind that bigger is better when it comes to area and smaller is better when it comes to water pans at the beginning. They usually make a big mess out of what ever water that you give them. The "orange beaks" throws me. Like I don't know much about Florida's water fowl. If you feed them and keep them safe, eventually you will know what they are. My ducks that I raised never really got "emotionally attached" but they did know me and would come when I called, although they didn't particularly want to be touched. Good luck, maybe someone from you area will come on and know just what it is that you have. I am way up in Michigan and I don't know about orange beaks.

-- diane (gardiacaprines@yahoo.com), April 20, 2001.

Response to Found baby ducks or geese and we need HELP!

Good for you Ashley, helping the little duckies. Peruse the archives...lots of good general information.

-- Shannon at Grateful Acres Animal Sanctuary (gratacres@aol.com), April 20, 2001.

Response to Found baby ducks or geese and we need HELP!

Ashley, another good site to find information is feathersite.com. You will find information on raising these waterfowl and maybe even clues to what you have. If they are big My quess is goslings. My goslings got pretty tame, but they were domestic fowl and raised one at time in the house from hatching. If these are wild fowl they will probably never be attached to you beyond letting you feed them without attack or fear once they are adults and will probably fly away once they reach adulthood. I raised some orphan mallard ducklings and they flew away that fall. (a friend found them at the beach where she watched a seal eat their mom) Good luck, enjoy, and be prepared for the mess they will make as they grow. I do love raising waterfowl, they are so much cuter, easier and hardier than chicks. betty

-- betty modin (betty_m9@yahoo.com), April 21, 2001.

Ashley - Congratulations.... And thank you! Not just anybody would help the poor little guys (though most folks here would!)!!

Everyone gave such wonderful answers I have nothing of importance to add... Have fun!!!

-- Sue Diederich (willow666@rocketmail.com), April 23, 2001.

Thanks you guys!!! We are still VERY confused as to what they are and they don't seem to be getting any smaller! Sorry that it's taken so long but I had a 10-20 page research paper due last Fri. and I procrastinated and you guys probably know how that goes! Well, I guess I can post a picture of them (oh yeah, the large one is Hope and the other is JingleBells). Since my friend and I found 'em she got to name one (my mom says that she really doesn't have the priviledge until she goes on the 'midnight feeding shift'...but oh well) and "hers" is JingleBells. Mine is Hope because every single animal that I've saved (a blue jay and...hehehe...a feeder fish I stole from the Oscar's tank) and named Lucky has not been lucky! So Hope is a good name =)

Sorry, if this doesn't work, I'm not sure if html is used on this forum.

-- Ashley Miller (ashleym@tampabay.rr.com), April 29, 2001.

I'd be willing to bet cash that they're geese. Those are pretty distinctive looking heads and beaks. When they feather out some, you'll get a better idea of what kind perhaps. I would guess from the colouration that they're going to be white, but that I would not be quite so quick to bet money on, having only had an adult and not goslings.

-- julie f. (rumplefrogskin@excite.com), April 29, 2001.

They are growing in teeny tiny white feathers on their wings and tips of their tails (and those baby feathers are soooo soft!). I don't know if I have ever seen wild geese around here, and may think that they are Muskovies, but I've never seen Muskovy babes before. They are adorable, aren't they? =)

-- Ashley Miller (ashleym@tampabay.rr.com), May 04, 2001.

I agree with Julie, look just like my baby geese. Soooo cute.

-- diane (gardiacaprines@yahoo.com), May 04, 2001.

Here's a LINK to a picture of Muscovies, including some younger ones. I see the similarity, but the bills look subtlely different from your adoptees. Also, that site says the muscovy don't like to swim much because they lack the oils that keep other ducks and geese afloat. I'm betting you've got geese. Keep us posted! They are cute.

-- Joy F [in So. Wisconsin] (CatFlunky@excite.com), May 04, 2001.