First time mama/hatchlings

longeliner31

Hatching
May 23, 2016
1
0
7
This is the first time I've had a duck sit on her eggs to completion and I've only had "mail order" babies. The first hatched last night and I hear lots of pecking and chirping so more should be coming. Will this mama feed and take care of her babies without my help or should I get the baby duck mix for them to eat like I did for the "mail" ducks? She is very protective and she herself has access to cracked corn/layer mix as well as free range grazing and a large pond (once she decides its safe to leave the nest-I've been feeding her by the nest the past few weeks though I've seen her run to the pond for a short bath and graze prior to them starting to hatch). I just want to make sure I do everything for this batch as possible. Also, another duck started to sit her nest so in three more weeks I'll have another group of babies! (Ancona and Cayugas-I'm sure some eggs will end up a cross since I have males of both species)
 
They still need the baby duck food. It won't hurt the momma if she eats it too. Good luck with the babies I know it's exciting to hatch your own.
 
We feed Purina Flock Raiser to all ages so the only difference is the texture of the feed. We start ducklings on wet feed then dry crumbles when they are mostly feathered and pellets when they are mostly grown or start eating them on their own. The mother duck is fine eating the wet feed and she will teach the ducklings to eat.

We use plastic paint trays for water for ducklings with the hen. They have ramps so the ducklings won't drown and the ducklings get oil from the mother so they can get wet and warm off any time. The mother can drink from the paint tray and sit in it but the water is shallow enough to keep the ducklings from drowning. Our main pond in our yard is not safe for ducklings because it is a horse trough with a deck and ramp. We need to put a safety ramp inside the trough before it is safe for the babies to be able to get out since there is a lip they will need to push over to get out.
 

New posts New threads Active threads

Back
Top Bottom