Why did my duck change towards me

[Paulinemoxley]

Hi I'm new to this and I'm sorda a new duck mom she will be 1 in march.and a rooster mom he is hitting 5 months old now.my question is my duck shady imprinted on me and she was always my baby .when she got old enough I let her stay outside and I got a baby rooster to protect her.she never had a duck momma somehow she found her way to my yard at 2 weeks old I raised her .I was her favorite person.one day the wind had been blowing hard and a branch fell and broke her wing .I had to dr her like vet said and wrap her wing every few days a week and give her med .a few weeks later when she was healing I took off wrap but she wont come to me anymore or let me hold her she runs from me .she acts like she scared or mad at me .it has broken my heart cause she was my emotional support that calmed me when I would just pet her.i did give her space and gave her snacks .lay in her pen and just talk to her sit on ground and feed her.she dont follow me anymore she dont run towards me anymore .she hides from me unless I'm feeding them.what happened. My rooster comes to me let's me pet him pick him up and everything. He loves shady and she adores him.my heart is crushed over a accident taking our bond away .just cause I had to wrap wing and give her meds .how do I get her to love trust me again

 

[Bochama]

Hello Pauline. It seems that your duck is scared u might bandage it again and give it antibiotics since it is a stressful experience for it. How long has it been since shes avoiding you? If not that long I suggest give it some time and space. My ducks did the same when they were older and I just found other ways to be with them. Take her in your house and let it explore. Lie down and act defenseless. She will slowly come and play with you. Keep a pillow near you with hanging fibers so she can dig into it and also wear a cozy sweater so she can play with it. Give it some time. Most importantly give her treats like peas and tomatoes after u hang out with her so she cna look forward to it. I hope that helped. Keep me updated.

 

[shawluvsbirds]

Hi I'm new to this and I'm sorda a new duck mom she will be 1 in march.and a rooster mom he is hitting 5 months old now.my question is my duck shady imprinted on me and she was always my baby .when she got old enough I let her stay outside and I got a baby rooster to protect her.she never had a duck momma somehow she found her way to my yard at 2 weeks old I raised her .I was her favorite person.one day the wind had been blowing hard and a branch fell and broke her wing .I had to dr her like vet said and wrap her wing every few days a week and give her med .a few weeks later when she was healing I took off wrap but she wont come to me anymore or let me hold her she runs from me .she acts like she scared or mad at me .it has broken my heart cause she was my emotional support that calmed me when I would just pet her.i did give her space and gave her snacks .lay in her pen and just talk to her sit on ground and feed her.she dont follow me anymore she dont run towards me anymore .she hides from me unless I'm feeding them.what happened. My rooster comes to me let's me pet him pick him up and everything. He loves shady and she adores him.my heart is crushed over a accident taking our bond away .just cause I had to wrap wing and give her meds .how do I get her to love trust me again

Part of this is just that your duck is growing up. Even imprinted ducks do not always remain lap pets. It's just their nature. Even some of my most friendly imprinted ones stopped liking to be held and petted around that age.
They do seem to like sharing space with me though. If I just go on about my business around the yard they cannot resist coming over to be near me and see what I'm up to.
Sitting on the ground down on their level like you say you are doing is another good way to earn their trust. Just sit with her and hand feed her a few treats each day.
Remember they don't like things moving fast around them or reaching over their head because it reminds them of a predator.
She may eventually decide she would like to be petted again but try not to be too disappointed if she does not.
If you need something to be snuggly I suggest getting yourself a kitten or a puppy for that.

 

[Paulinemoxley]

Hello Pauline. It seems that your duck is scared u might bandage it again and give it antibiotics since it is a stressful experience for it. How long has it been since shes avoiding you? If not that long I suggest give it some time and space. My ducks did the same when they were older and I just found other ways to be with them. Take her in your house and let it explore. Lie down and act defenseless. She will slowly come and play with you. Keep a pillow near you with hanging fibers so she can dig into it and also wear a cozy sweater so she can play with it. Give it some time. Most importantly give her treats like peas and tomatoes after u hang out with her so she cna look forward to it. I hope that helped. Keep me updated.

Thank u so much .its been 3months since the accident it was end of october when bandages came off so about 2 months she acts like I'm gonna hurt her..thank u it helps to hear that it has happened to someone else and that its fear of antibiotics and bandaging her and not that she all sudden hates me.i will take your advice and keep trying and bringing her in .thank u again I will keep u updated

 

[Bochama]

Thank u so much .its been 3months since the accident it was end of october when bandages came off so about 2 months she acts like I'm gonna hurt her..thank u it helps to hear that it has happened to someone else and that its fear of antibiotics and bandaging her and not that she all sudden hates me.i will take your advice and keep trying and bringing her in .thank u again I will keep u updated

It takes time. My ducks still dont trust me completely when we r outside. Inside the house theyll play around and let me kiss them. But unfortunately they do not enjoy cuddling now. Dont worry though bring her in and just play with her. You can do this!!

 

[Paulinemoxley]

Part of this is just that your duck is growing up. Even imprinted ducks do not always remain lap pets. It's just their nature. Even some of my most friendly imprinted ones stopped liking to be held and petted around that age.
They do seem to like sharing space with me though. If I just go on about my business around the yard they cannot resist coming over to be near me and see what I'm up to.
Sitting on the ground down on their level like you say you are doing is another good way to earn their trust. Just sit with her and hand feed her a few treats each day.
Remember they don't like things moving fast around them or reaching over their head because it reminds them of a predator.
She may eventually decide she would like to be petted again but try not to be too disappointed if she does not.
If you need something to be snuggly I suggest getting yourself a kitten or a puppy for that.

Thank u I understand that .lol my rooster snuggles me but I miss her giving me nibble kisses and rubbing her head on my neck and quacking at me to rub her back.i have 2 cats and 3 dogs to love on and a rat to but shady just helped calm my anxiety but marshal my rooster does to .I love animals but when she somehow made it to my yard out of blue at barley 2 weeks old and not knowing how she got there was like she needed me ,I earned her trust researched on how to care for her and bonded with her so close .but as soon accident happened everything changed .I want her to know I was helping her heal not hurting her.but she will take food from me .I'll wait it out .thank u for your help

 

[ruthhope]

Thank u so much .its been 3months since the accident it was end of october when bandages came off so about 2 months she acts like I'm gonna hurt her..thank u it helps to hear that it has happened to someone else and that its fear of antibiotics and bandaging her and not that she all sudden hates me.i will take your advice and keep trying and bringing her in .thank u again I will keep u updated

Good plan, but do remember what has been written above: she is also growing older and some ducks that were hand raised as ducklings cease liking to be picked up or handled. I have a rescue duck that I hand raised and didn't find ducky friends for until nearly 6 weeks old. Once my duckling was living with ducky friends, she ceased following me round. She still likes petting when she feels like it but does not like being picked up at all. That's just her maturing into a duck with "opinions" on her life.

Be patient and follow the advice above. She will likely become more friendly over time but may not be a cuddly duck any more

Know you did the best for her when she was injured. She is just remembering the pain of the treatment and not linking it to her healed wing.

 

[BelovedBirds]

Hi I'm new to this and I'm sorda a new duck mom she will be 1 in march.and a rooster mom he is hitting 5 months old now.my question is my duck shady imprinted on me and she was always my baby .when she got old enough I let her stay outside and I got a baby rooster to protect her.she never had a duck momma somehow she found her way to my yard at 2 weeks old I raised her .I was her favorite person.one day the wind had been blowing hard and a branch fell and broke her wing .I had to dr her like vet said and wrap her wing every few days a week and give her med .a few weeks later when she was healing I took off wrap but she wont come to me anymore or let me hold her she runs from me .she acts like she scared or mad at me .it has broken my heart cause she was my emotional support that calmed me when I would just pet her.i did give her space and gave her snacks .lay in her pen and just talk to her sit on ground and feed her.she dont follow me anymore she dont run towards me anymore .she hides from me unless I'm feeding them.what happened. My rooster comes to me let's me pet him pick him up and everything. He loves shady and she adores him.my heart is crushed over a accident taking our bond away .just cause I had to wrap wing and give her meds .how do I get her to love trust me again

do you mean that she turned up at 2 weeks old? From where? Or had you released her before this happened and she came back? Is it just one duck and one rooster? (I take you mean an actual rooster, not a drake)
Do they have secure accommodation at night, safe from predators?
Do you spend any time with them aside from feeding?