On Tue, 17 Jun 2003 14:58:24 -0500, jammer wrote:

I rehabilitate wild orphaned birds or just raise fallen babies. If i
didn't go against the law, i would have dead hawks several times a
year, for i am forbidden to care for them without a Birds of Prey
Liscence. I will never turn my back on anything in need of help.

I risked arrest by picking up a barred owl that apparently had a concussion
from hitting a power line. Silly thing held his head upside down, and only
cut flips when he tried to fly. I took him home and kept his in my shop for
8 days. I fed him chicken liver and water, forced at first, then he would
take it readily. Each day, his head rotated more toward upright. Each day,
he dismantled my shop a little more. Owl poop is great paint stripper.
Finally one day his head was completely upright, and he could fly from shelf
to shelf with good agility. Next day, I fed him and released him. He flew to
a high branch and studied for 20 minutes, then flew away. His name was
"hootie".

Bob

I suggest you feed the ducklings the chow that Jammer mentioned in his post;
if possible, don't feed the geese, though, or they'll never leave. I think
ducks want to be on water, but I've seen plenty of parkland that's a mess
because the Canada Geese have settled in. Often, they will go to a pond for
the night (as protection against predators, I assume).

I expect that the ducks will leave for a "better" place when they're able.
BTW, I have no idea whether it's illegal to feed Canada Geese, except I'm
fairly certain that you're not supposed to put corn (or whatever) on the
ground, then shoot them. OTOH, that's pretty much how some wildlife
management areas work; fields are planted with corn, and there's always
something left over after the harvest for the geese.

Anne Lurie
Raleigh, NC





"Ned Hart" wrote in message
om...
Hello

I am working for a customer with a large courtyard. There is no pond
or source of water. The only water comes from puddles left after it
rains and runoff from AC condensation that exits through a rubber
hose. The only thing that grows here is grass. The canadian geese
that hatched a few weeks ago seem to be doing fine, they are
constantly eating grass and have grown, but today I saw two very young
duckings straying pretty far from their mother and they looked feeble.
They were pecking at the grass but not pulling any of it. One of
them was even pecking at goose droppings. I am wondering if they can
live on grass like the geese, and if not, if there is something I can
give them to eat. Any ideas?

On Tue, 17 Jun 2003 16:00:41 -0500, Bob Adkins
wrote:

On Tue, 17 Jun 2003 14:58:24 -0500, jammer wrote:

I rehabilitate wild orphaned birds or just raise fallen babies. If i
didn't go against the law, i would have dead hawks several times a
year, for i am forbidden to care for them without a Birds of Prey
Liscence. I will never turn my back on anything in need of help.

I risked arrest by picking up a barred owl that apparently had a concussion
from hitting a power line. Silly thing held his head upside down, and only
cut flips when he tried to fly. I took him home and kept his in my shop for
8 days. I fed him chicken liver and water, forced at first, then he would
take it readily. Each day, his head rotated more toward upright. Each day,
he dismantled my shop a little more. Owl poop is great paint stripper.
Finally one day his head was completely upright, and he could fly from shelf
to shelf with good agility. Next day, I fed him and released him. He flew to
a high branch and studied for 20 minutes, then flew away. His name was
"hootie".

Bob

That's great.