[Pjs]

Hello,
five days ago we found an egg abandoned in the yard. It was just off white and just a bit larger than grade "A" jumbo large. It has since hatched and is a yellow duckling with black tail feathers. We live in GA , USA near a small lake. It enjoys eating freeze dried bloodworms and live minnows the best. That she catches in her pool. (just call her a girl we really have no idea) Also eats a commercial duck mix that I soften by cooking like you do dried beans. Loves oatmeal as well. Now knowing this can you help me identify her species? Pjs

[Andrew]

A photo would be useful.

Welcome to the forum Pjs and I hope we will see plenty of you here.

[steve_nova]

Sounds interesting, keep us posted. Welcome to bird forum too.

[Michael Frankis]

Almost certainly a farmyard duck (derived from Mallard).

Wild ducklings are patterned brown & yellow, not all yellow, and wild ducks also take more care of their eggs, they don't just leave them lying around the place!

By contrast, farm ducks have been deliberately bred to leave their eggs for the farmer to collect.

Michael

[Andrew Bluett]

"Dropped Eggs" are not that uncommon, many birds get caught short and lay where they are rather than in the nest. Over my 40 years of birding, I've found eggs from a number of species lying around on the ground and waterfowl are often the culprits.

A few years ago, I was walking near Loch Bee on the Outer Hebrides with my son and we found a Greylag's egg "dropped" on the grass, amongst many piles of the other stuff they leave lying around, which clearly showed where they had been feeding.

However, a word of warning to British Birders especially on moorland. Some eggs are dropped not by birds, but by gamekeepers with a disliking for corvids, and often contain nasty combinations of chemicals which are not conducive to good health of either birds or mammals (including humans). Advice in this situation - don't touch, just place a convenient stone on top of the egg to flatten it and cover the contents, and then walk away.

[Michael Frankis]

Hi Andrew,

Dropped eggs may be common enough, but what's odd about this one is that it had been incubated for all bar the last 5 days of the normal incubation period. Otherwise it wouldn't have hatched.

Agreed with your warning about the bastard gamekeepers. If I found an egg with a pinprick in it, I'd be phoning the police.

Michael

[Pjs]

Just to let you know that the duck is growing and appears very healthy. She eats well cooked (to soften) duck and goose food, bugs and worms from the yard and minnows. We put the minnows in a wading pool and she chases and fishes for them herself. We have named her Nibbles and everyone adores her. She follows everyone. She sits on your shoulder while you are in a chair and nuzzles up for warmth. As for releaseing her when she is old enough will depend on her. If she wants to go we will let her follow her heart and her kind but if she wants to remain thats ok too. She is a very well behaved duck.
On another note I recently took a trip to Paris and avoided the duck on the menu. Like eating one of the family

[sparroweye]

Hello Pjs, we had a baby duckling in North Carolina. She bonded with me as her mother. Unfortunately that meant that if she heard a loud noise in the middle of the night, she came running
up to my back porch honking and squacking. So, we were
given some wild mallard ducklings. She followed them all around but they never bonded with her. But at least this stopped her
anxiety attacks at night, and she had some company. Baby
ducks will bond with you. Mine used to sit in my lap. I know, I
know, disgusting. We called her/him Max until she started laying eggs, and then we called her Maxine.

[Pjs]

can you identify our duck? I'm trying to post a picture but I'm having some trouble.

[Pjs]

Oh good it posted. Nibbles is about 12 inches from bill to tail. She is all white underneath.

[birdman]

I've got absolutely no idea, Pjs, but she(?) is gorgeous.

Come on duck experts... are those tail feathers the makings of a stiff-tail???

[Tony_InDevon]

Hi Pjs, I agree with birdman that she is the most gorgeous duck. It will be interesting to she what she grows into. Sorry I can't help with the id.

[Michael Frankis]

Yep, a domesticated farm breed of Mallard.

It looks as much like a wild Mallard, as a poodle looks like a wolf - but it is still the same species!

Probably a male, but I'm not 100% certain on that.

Michael

[Pjs]

Thanks for your replies. I'll post another picture later. I spent some time out back digging for worms. Nibbles gets so excited. She loves to get down and dirty poking around for bugs and worms. She ate a small snake the other day while my daughter and her BF were duck sitting. He assured me it was a gardener snake. She is so fast it's hard to watch what they eat. I got meal worms from the pet store. Those are a yummy treat. She loves peaches,oranges and apples. I only give those in small amounts. They seem to make things a tad messy. I read somewhere that cat and dog food was good. So I tried tuna and sardine cat food. She ate it..... Can you say power Poops. Not getting that anymore. I took her with to the pet store last week and she was popular. She is a very healthy duck. She loved going by all the aquariums full of fish. She was sure it was the all you can eat buffet. I'll have to send my son minnow fishing on Saturday. He usually gets baby striped bass. I give them to her in the pool and as they die in the pail I freeze them for a fishsicle snack. The duck won't wait for them to defrost.