As a duck owner, it’s important you know how to handle your birds. Ducks are delicate creatures prone to stress and injury, so you must take care when picking them up and setting them down.
Here, we’ll explain how to hold a duck safely. With proper handling, you can keep your feathered friends secure, comfortable, and calm as you carry them.
How to Catch a Duck
If you want to know how to hold a duck, the first step is catching it. Ducks are wily creatures, and it can be a challenge to safely capture a duck not used to handling or human contact. However, with a calm and calculated approach, you can easily catch your duck without stress or injury.
Approaching a Duck
When you approach a duck, try to convey the message that you aren’t a threat. Get down to their level, perhaps bringing some of their favorite treats as a peace offering. Doing this can help to calm the duck and bring them closer to you.
Whatever you do, never chase a duck you’re trying to handle. Doing so can stress your birds out, possibly leading to health complications. It may also make it more difficult to capture skittish ducks next time you need to handle them. What’s more, ducks are fast creatures, and in a game of chase, you’re likely to lose.
Instead, allow your duck to come to you. If treats don’t work, slowly and calmly herd your duck into a corner to make capture easier. You may want to wear protective gear such as gloves and thick sleeves to protect yourself from scratches and bites. A pair of gloves will also help you protect yourself from salmonella while preventing the spread of disease amongst your flock.
Many duck owners wonder: do ducks like to be held?
Not all ducks will react in the same way to the same approach techniques. While some ducks may be fine with light handling, others may have a more skittish personality. Over time, you’ll learn the best strategy to approach each individual in your flock.
Picking Up a Duck
Once you’ve approached your duck and see that it’s calm, you can attempt to pick it up. Once you’re close, place one hand on each side of the duck’s body. Make sure to secure both wings with your hands, being careful not to crush them under your grip. It’s best to grip close to the front of your duck’s body rather than the wings’ edges.
If your duck struggles, it may be safer to place your hands at the front and back of the body. A hand on the chest prevents them from lunging forward, while one on the back holds their body still. Once the duck is calm, you can proceed to place your hands around the sides and wings.
Once your duck is still and secure, you can stand. Lift them against your body, holding one slide firmly to your chest. If they panic or struggle, you may have to set them down to avoid injury. It’s best to wait a few minutes for them to settle before trying to approach them again.
Can You Catch a Baby Duck?
Handling baby chicks is perfectly safe and may even be beneficial for your ducks. Familiarizing poultry with human contact early on can make it easier to carry them once they mature. However, there’s a delicate balance with young chicks between handling and over-handling. Too much one-on-one time can stress out young chicks, leaving them more prone to illness and infection.
Catching and holding a baby duck is much different than handling a mature adult. Always handle ducklings with extreme care, as their bodies are delicate. They may not even be able to tolerate a short drop. Ensure that you allow them to rest on your palm or hand without squeezing too tightly.
As with older ducks, it can be easier to catch ducklings if you corral them into a smaller area first. For particularly difficult birds, gently toss a lightweight towel over their heads to slow them enough to scoop them up safely.
You should exercise extreme care when letting children handle baby ducks. While they can make a cute playmate, young children may be too rough to be allowed near your poultry until the birds are older and sturdier.
Handling Different Breeds
Not all duck breeds are created equal, and some require special considerations when handling. Lightweight ducks such as Bantams are generally easy to handle and carry, particularly those with a stout, robust build.
Larger ducks need more support if you plan on lifting them off the ground. If you’re wondering how to hold a Pekin duck, always remember that you should provide support around the feet and undercarriage with one hand with large breeds.
If you want to know how to pick up a muscovy duck, another large breed, note that individuals can be more aggressive than other domesticated breeds. You want to handle them with the utmost care to prevent excess stress. With Muscovy ducks and aggressive drakes, you may also want to outfit yourself in protective gear to avoid injury.
Is It Safe to Pick Up a Duck?
When handling ducks, there are some common mistakes that backyard enthusiasts make. For example, many duck owners find themselves asking: can you pick up a duck by its neck?
While it may seem like a convenient handling option, the neck is an extremely delicate area in wild and domesticated duck breeds. Picking a bird up by the neck can end up damaging its throat and airways, sometimes irreparably.
Wings, feathers, and feet are also fragile and easily damaged. Many poultry owners who are familiar with chickens make the mistake of thinking that duck legs are just as robust. However, most ducks have legs and feet that are significantly more delicate than those of a duck.
You should never handle a duck by its legs. In most cases, it’s fine to have a duck’s feet dangling free as you carry them. However, some ducks find it comforting to have the safety of a hand gently securing their feet with the pinky and thumb. It’s up to the individual preferences of each bird.
Their delicate legs are one reason why it’s so important to secure ducks on the ground before carrying them. If a duck manages to escape and jump from your hands, even a short fall can break a leg or damage a foot.
For those wondering what happens if you hold a duck upside down, it’s a bad idea. While some ducks can tolerate being on their back or side, it can be traumatizing or even dangerous for many.
If you need to check the vent area on a small duck, you can usually rotate them onto their back without an issue. If you hold a larger duck upside down, though, it can put stress on their delicate bodies. The same goes for ducks with health complications or those that are prone to extreme stress. In these cases, you should allow your duck to remain upright when checking the vent.
In Conclusion
Without proper handling, ducks can risk stress, injury, or even death. Knowing how to hold a duck can keep both you and your backyard poultry safe. A calm, controlled, and respectful approach towards handling can work wonders towards helping you and your flock to live in peace.