July 19, 2010. 1  Wild baby ducks or ducklings are cared for very aptly by the mother duck. If the mother duck is not in the area caring for her ducklings, it is important to know how to feed them. 2  Ducklings that are newly hatched do not need food or water for the first 72 hours. During that time, the baby duck will receive nutrition from the yolk sac left from the egg. Purchase waterfowl or game bird starter feed called starter crumbles.. This can be purchased online or at feed stores and some pet shops.