Found a Baby Waterfowl?
Call us if you’ve found a gosling or duckling that is:
injured (cannot walk, is stumbling or has an open wound)
was grabbed by a dog or a cat
covered in ants or flies
lethargic
following humans or pets
Mother goose and mother duck are very protective of their young and stay close by. If you spot a lost baby, it might have gotten separated from its mother by accident. Before you approach, if the youngling seems healthy and is walking around and calling for its mother, please spend some time observing to see if the mother can find it, unless you know she’s dead. Sometimes they find a suitable replacement family, and that is a good outcome as well. So if they are wondering around others of their kind, please monitor to give it a chance to stay wild and free.
If enough time has passed and the youngling is still alone, put it in a suitable carrier, lined up with any sort of material that could keep it warm.
Ducklings and goslings are extremely sensitive to cold, so as soon as possible please place it in a quiet and calm place with a suitable heat source. Do not place the baby directly bellow a heat lamp or on top of a heat source unless it has a bit of room to move away if it needs to.
And please please remember: When we discuss imprinting behaviors- water fowl are the ones we use as examples!
Do not interact with a duckling or gosling in any way. If they have any chance of survival, they must be kept away from someone they can imprint on. They might seem very lonely, but in the long term you’re saving their lives as free birds.
Once you’ve secured the baby, call us.
