Fellow forumers rally round but sadly the orphan didn't make it through the night

After discovering a lone duckling abandoned in a recycling bag in the front garden of a Chiswick house, Sarah Turner turned to the forum to ask advice on how to care for it.

Concerned that it was easy prey for domestic pets and foxes Sarah said: "Although I know one shouldn't handle wild chicks, I couldn't leave it to it's own devices and brought it home."

Sarah has some experience of small birds through her parents however they live in the South of France so it was up to W4 to help come up with a solution. "I know they self feed and really only need to be kept warm, fed and watered until they develop their waterproof feathers, but wondered if anyone had a more suitable home for it than mine?"

The duckling brightened considerably after eating some bread soaked in water and some porridge oats soaked in water. "He has really found his voice chirping away and he is walking around much more. He is much livelier than earlier - trying to peck at my watch and walk on the keyboard as I type," said Sarah in one of her updates.

Fellow forumers Mary Oppe and Delilah Hall came to the rescue, Mary offering ducky daycare and Delilah Hall organising its rehousing to a pond in the country set for Saturday morning.

Even though it had been taken into the hearts of the Chiswick community, sadly the orphaned duckling didn't make it through the night.

July 31, 2011