Woman Saves Ducklings Trapped in Pot Thanks To Mama Duck's Quacks For Help

A woman found a mama duck at a loss of how to lead her babies out of the deep planter where she’d made her nest. None of the little duckling were big enough to hop out of the planter themselves, and they were separated from their mom—that is, until the woman carefully tipped over the planter so that they could run free and return to their home base for shelter.

Modern urban architecture poses many dangers for ducklings. Even the classic children’s book Make Way for Ducklings details the difficulties that mama ducks and their babies have in getting from their roosting spot to whatever body of water the mama will be using to train her offspring in the ways of the duck.

Related: Mystery Man Saving Tiny Ducklings From Sewer Must Be Protected at All Costs

The problem is that in the wild, ducks wish to nest in sheltered, covered areas, like bushes and underbrush near a larger body of water. But in urban and suburban places where many ducks now gather, the water’s edge has been manicured to within an inch of its life—if it’s not completely paved over—which means ducks have to find other places to roost, sometimes requiring their newborns to undergo an obstacle course worthy of American Ninja Warrior in the hours right after their birth.

Duckling Development

Mother ducks lay their eggs in big clutches and then after the laying is complete, they settle in to incubate their eggs for several weeks. During this period, they rarely leave the nest as the eggs must stay warm and dry in order to hatch.

Ducklings tend to hatch all around the same time, and stay in the nest for several hours, waiting for their fluff to dry. However, by the next morning, it’s time for the mother duck to lead them to the water so they can get their first meal. And this is where they run into trouble.

How To Help Baby Ducklings

The duck in this video ended up making her nest in a tall, deep sided planter in a fenced patio near a body of water. And though this might have protected her and her clutch during incubation, the side were far too tall and too steep for the babies to hop out of after birth.

This is not the first time this duck has faced near tragedy. The woman making hte video said it’s the third year this duck has tried to make a nest in her yard, and this is the first time the babies survived. For one thing, there are two dogs on the property, and that does not make for easy-going neighbors. Even in this video, you can see that several eggs in the clutch appear to have failed to hatch, and there are only three little ducklings in the group.

But three is better than none, and with this woman’s help, the ducklings and their mama are off to a good start in the pond.

If you hope to help ducklings this season, here are a few tips to ensure their safe upbringing

* Keep your pets leashed.

* Be aware of ducklings moving across streets and sidewalks. They can’t fly yet.

* If a duckling is separated from its mother, try to locate her and reunite her. If she rejects the duckling afterward, only then should you take it to an animal rescue or call animal control.

* Do not feed baby ducklings bread. Bread is bad for ducks.

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