Question: new to ducks : Ducks panting

[ferretmommie]

ok I am very new to ducks about 6 weeks into them and they are all 6 weeks old except for 1 a khackie campbell that is 1 yr old .
Ok so I have 5 mallards and 2 pekins and the Pekins are sitting out there panting and nobody else is it is only about 62 degrees outside right now can they actually be this hot they have a pool and fresh water to drink .... is this how they release heat like a dog would they are 6 weeks old

 

[WriterofWords]

I don't know, but I'll try and bump you up so a ducky person can try and answer!

 

[newchickmom09]

I would put them right next to the water and see if they drink. When they pant that usualy means they need a drink. Either from being hot or eating there food and needing water to wash it down.

 

[suburbanduckmom]

I'll second the drinking thing with Pekins. I have one that does that. She also does it when she gets upset about being held.

Someone with more experience than me may say different though.

 

[maralynn28]

my babies did it when they had stuff gunked in their nose, I had to help them dunk their heads in the water to clean it out....worked but mine were less than 1 wk old at the time, I'd think yours would be old enough to know to do that? I also heard anxiety/stress causes them to act like that (as if they had a bully?). I'm also new at this too so these are just guesses. Hope you figure it out! GL!

 

[duckyfromoz]

My pekins often do this at around that age. My routine is to give them a swim in the evenings and let them dry off in the brooder- After they have preened and dried off they start to snooze- but I will see one or two panting- more when I have a larger number in the brooder. They arent cloggged up in the nostrils as they have just had a swim- Mine do it when they are just too warm- It is the ones further from the heat lamp that do the panting.
Being too warm or being stressed will make a duckling pant.

 

[Green Liver]

I too have been wondering why my Pekin also seems to pant. It almost doesn't even seem like panting but more of a silent chattering maybe. I hope someone can answer can answer your question also.

 

[countrygirl74]

I raised Pekins and Rouens together and it was always my Pekins that panted - they just got hot easier. I turned their lamps off way sooner than I did with the chicks I was raising in a bin next to them. The funny thing is, the Rouens would like to sleep close to the Pekins and the Pekins were always trying to move away - kind of like wanting to "throw off the covers" - LOL.
I did notice they went through a stage where they panted more and then it eased up. As long as they have plenty of water, deep enough to dip their heads in, they will be fine. Also, I had one that did the "chattering" I think Green Liver mentioned, only it sounded kind of like snoring to me.

 

[2ducksmomma]

How long do you leave the light off?

 

[Americano Blue]

I would put them right next to the water and see if they drink. When they pant that usualy means they need a drink. Either from being hot or eating there food and needing water to wash it down.

I raised Pekins and Rouens together and it was always my Pekins that panted - they just got hot easier. I turned their lamps off way sooner than I did with the chicks I was raising in a bin next to them. The funny thing is, the Rouens would like to sleep close to the Pekins and the Pekins were always trying to move away - kind of like wanting to "throw off the covers" - LOL.
I did notice they went through a stage where they panted more and then it eased up. As long as they have plenty of water, deep enough to dip their heads in, they will be fine. Also, I had one that did the "chattering" I think Green Liver mentioned, only it sounded kind of like snoring to me.

x2