Hi Seal Beach,
As you may know, on July 1, 2023, the Seal Beach Police Department launched our in-house animal control program. Just last week we received an animal control call involving some baby ducks who were born near a Seal Beach resident’s pool. It was interesting timing because we just received some important information from our friends at the Wetlands and Wildlife Care Center in Huntington Beach. See below:
Mallards and their ducklings
Breeding season: Spring through Summer (and sometimes earlier)
A week before egg-laying, the female exhibits persistent quacking—she is looking for nest sites—this occurs mostly in the evening—she is in the lead and the male is waiting nearby. If this behavior is observed, you may find this is a good time to deter her from laying her eggs. As the last egg is laid the female starts to incubate. She sits very tightly, and her brown plumage blends her perfectly to the background. She rarely leaves the nest apart from short breaks to feed and stretch her legs. About 28 days later the eggs hatch together. This takes about 24 hours.
The ducklings stay in the nest for at least 10 hours while they dry and get used to using their legs. Then, usually in the early morning, the female leads them to water. Bad weather may delay this exodus, but the sooner the ducklings get to water to feed, the better their chances of survival. The nest is abandoned, although if it is close to the feeding area, the family may continue to use it for brooding and roosting.
The mother duck will leave her nest to feed periodically during the day. It is not necessary to supplement her diet and best not to do so as food attracts attention to the nest. Leaving food out will attract other birds and rodents, e.g., bread, nuts, seeds, and chips.
Hatching and walking to water
The ducklings will hatch about 25-28 days after the last egg was laid. Within 48 hours, their mama will initiate a “parade” to water. Humans must not interfere!! Humans can direct traffic as needed and steer the ducklings away from street grates or other hazards.
Let the mama duck lead; she knows where she wants to go! DO NOT INTERVENE. Only 1 or 2 ducklings are expected to survive this trek. Do not interfere with Mother Nature’s overall plan.
If the nest is some way from water, this first journey can be the most perilous time in a duckling’s life. Where a nest is high up (up a tree or on a balcony) the birds must first jump to the ground. Being very light and covered in down they usually come to no harm during the fall. Next, they will have a long and potentially hazardous walk before they can reach water.
The mother duck knows where the nearest water is to take her young, although it may be a couple of miles away. You must leave her alone, because interference can cause extra stress and risk the mother panicking and abandoning her brood. In many instances keeping an eye from the distance and shepherding the family across a danger point, such as a busy road, is all that is needed.
Ducks should be discouraged from building their nests where the ducklings will be at real risk on hatching. Such instances would be in backyards near pools, especially if the property is not close to any parks or golf courses that have water. There is normally no second chance for abandoned ducklings; their best chance for survival is with their mother. If you try to catch the mother, she may panic and fly away. She may not return to her young.
Young ducklings can feed themselves as soon as they reach water but must learn what is edible. They depend on their mother for warmth for a few days. She broods them regularly, particularly at night, as they easily chill in cold weather.
The down of the ducklings is not naturally waterproof. They get the waterproofing for their down from their mother. She also protects her ducklings from attacks by other mallards. Ducks do not tolerate stray ducklings close to their own brood, and females kill small strange young they encounter. Ducklings take 50-60 days to fledge (fly) and become independent. They can breed when they are a year old.
The journey to the water is hazardous for the whole family, and on occasions, the mother dies, or part or all of the brood becomes separated from her. Rearing ducklings is a long, messy, time-consuming, and expensive process. It takes at least two months to raise a brood. PLEASE LET THEM STAY WITH THEIR MOTHER. It is against the law in California to raise native wildlife unless you are a licensed rehabilitator with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and the U S Fish and Wildlife Service.
Thanks Wetlands and Wildlife Care Center for this information. To the Seal Beach community, for animal-related calls, please call our non-emergency line (562) 594-7232 and a Seal Beach Police Animal Control Officer will call or respond to assist.
Keep your questions coming Seal Beach. Email us at askacop@sealbeachca.gov today.
