I set up an incubator with a couple of towels, a cuddly toy, food and water. Each orphan was checked over before all being put into an incubator with a cuddly toy to snuggle up to as well as each other in the warmth.
So they do not spill or get soaked in water, ducklings get a special device called a hopper to drink from. However they still manage to somehow splash it everywhere!
They are also
fed what we call chick crumbs which have the specific nutrients they require
and are small enough for them to eat, they usually all race straight to the
bowls the second you step away. You can see them pecking away in the video clip http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lIpaalihpd8&noredirect=1
These
ducklings have now moved into a pen with more space which is the next stage in
their rehabilitation. With 9 of them running about it does not take long before
it becomes messy, and just like most youngsters they do not clean up after
themselves!
They are growing fast so it will not be long before they move outside into one of Stapeleys duckling pens.
As with all
orphans it is important that it is certain they have been abandoned before
bringing them into a Wildlife Centre. Often the mother will be waiting for you
to move on before she will go back to them. With ducklings it is important they
stay together and are not put on the water without their mother.
Sponsors of Stapeley Grange Wildlife Centre and Cattery
To donate to Stapeley text and our orphans: STAP70 £2 or £5 to 70070
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