The Duck Thread

[Amiga]

Ok, we let our two duck out of their pen for the first time four days ago and the one flew in my pond. So my daughter caught the other duck and put him back in the pen. Then the one that flew in my pond came back. So the next day I let them both out again. The same one flew back into my pond. This time I caught the other one and my son wanted me to put the second one in the pond, so we put did. This time they didn't come home it's been two days and two nights. I can see we're they are now. Does anybody know how we can get them out of the pond. I'm afraid something will get them. They are only two months old.

At this point I would plan to get them like I would rescue abandoned ducklings on a pond. Get a few friends, some temporary poultry fence (50 feet of it), and either waders or a kayak or something that safely floats.

The fact that they fly is not going to make it easy, as you know, but if you can get them between you and the shore, then move toward them, you may be able to coax them into a temporary fence on the shore. With a few extra hands, you are likely to be able to bring them in.

And then try again with the wing clipping and convincing them where night-night home is. Give them treats lavishly only in their night pen. Perhaps you may feed them only in their night pen - but make the food available 24/7, as they are still ducklings.

See if you can give them something to do or play with in the pen. A nice pile of compost that draws worms is great sport for my runners. And the compost doesn't have to be stinky old kitchen scraps. You can layer chopped straw and a little lettuce, and worms will start to show up. Just stir the little pile every few days.

 

[meganpugh]

This is the duck coop my fiance is "helping" me build right now (he is really doing all the work while I hold the screws)! It has a hardware cloth floor. Does anyone have any suggestions as to whether or not I should still use some bedding on top of the wire floor? Or will the wire suffice? The ducklings arrive in 1 week and we couldn't be more excited to add them to our little farm!

 

[Amiga]

Something over the wire will be best. Try towels especially while they are ducklings, and then I would try some straw or even shavings when they are adults.

 

[blondiebee181]

This is the duck coop my fiance is "helping" me build right now (he is really doing all the work while I hold the screws)! It has a hardware cloth floor. Does anyone have any suggestions as to whether or not I should still use some bedding on top of the wire floor? Or will the wire suffice? The ducklings arrive in 1 week and we couldn't be more excited to add them to our little farm!

Yeah....I use straw and it works great....in fact it stays dry enough here in Boise and I only have 2 ducks so I deep litter it....meaning I put down 2 inches of straw....after a couple days I stir it and put down more....etc.etc. and only completely change it out about twice a year. ducks have fairly tender feet so they will definitely need something soft to bed down in and when your females start to lay, it will be good nesting material. Unlike chickens, ducks do not need a separate nest box.

Quote: Amiga is right....training them with treats is the best. My ducks learned from my chickens luckily.....the chickens know that when I whistle, there are treats or food to be had. Treating them in their pen area is a good way to let them know that is a good place to be. I am torn on the wing clipping....you have a large area and clipping their wings will limit their ability to evade predators should the circumstance occur...

 

[Amiga]

Yeah....I use straw and it works great....in fact it stays dry enough here in Boise and I only have 2 ducks so I deep litter it....meaning I put down 2 inches of straw....after a couple days I stir it and put down more....etc.etc. and only completely change it out about twice a year. ducks have fairly tender feet so they will definitely need something soft to bed down in and when your females start to lay, it will be good nesting material. Unlike chickens, ducks do not need a separate nest box.

Amiga is right....training them with treats is the best. My ducks learned from my chickens luckily.....the chickens know that when I whistle, there are treats or food to be had. Treating them in their pen area is a good way to let them know that is a good place to be. I am torn on the wing clipping....you have a large area and clipping their wings will limit their ability to evade predators should the circumstance occur...

blondiebee181, you make an excellent point. I am so used to not free-ranging, I think I tripped up here.

I don't know what to recommend, then. I have a small place, and low tolerance for risk, and a long, long list of predators. Twenty minutes ago, as I was about to step outside, I saw a fox walk by. This was about fifteen feet from the basement door. I am awed by wild animals, and appreciate them. And foxes kill ducks. So the ducks are in a fairly secure spot at night. I say fairly, because if I make a mistake, that could compromise their safety. But as long as I keep the doors closed at the appropriate times, and nothing really weird happens, we should be okay.

So, I got off track.

Does letting them fly help them? I mean, I can see the idea. But I wonder how many free range flying ducks we lose to predators. I simply wonder. And I feel, sometimes, that I would like the ducks to have a little more run-around time some days. But except for the ones I have lost to egg yolk peritonitis, I still have everybody. And they seem pretty darned happy.

Just one of those things where you do the best you can with what you know.

 

[ringaring]

My ducks are waiting at the back door for me at the end of the day and get quite agitated when I'm late. They toddle ahead of me to their coop, checking all the way to see if I am following. I created these little monsters by tossing handfuls of frozen peas (no added salt) in their coop every evening when I put them in. They love them and learned quickly to come home at the end of the day if they want their treats. 10 runner ducks take 2-3 handfuls.

 

[blondiebee181]

ringaring's got the idea! Hahaha, ducks love peas! Yeah Amiga....the wing clipping is a toss up a little bit....I have a small suburban backyard, and few predators, so it's never been an issue for me. I think the first step to managing the ducks though, is going to be training them in some kind of routine with treats so that carousel86 can call them back when she needs to. That's the nice thing about ducks especially is that they are smart....and they love having a routine and catch on to it very quickly once you teach them something.

 

[Mothsgal]

Hi! I'm a very new duck mom...you may have seen the posts on the Raising Wood Duck's thread....we found several eggs that had blown out of a tree in a storm last Thursday. There were 5 eggs, 2 were completely damaged, 2 were cracked (one badly) and one was intact. We brought them inside and made a nice little incubator for them. We lost the one that was badly cracked open, but the other 2 hatched (one was pretty early by the look of him, but I nursed him for 48 hours straight and he's doing great! We're guessing they're mallards....nothing as exotic as what everyone here has, but they're so sweet!! They have completely imprinted on us and start to cry when they hear my voice and want to come to me. We are very new at this duck thing...and loving it. I'm learning everything I can and have so many questions! First: Can they eat peas, fruit, corn, any other fruit or veggies now or are they too young? They love romaine lettuce. I'm planning on taking them outside for short periods of time starting this weekend with access to very shallow water...they love to play in their drinking water. We have a small poultry water dispenser with the round pan on the bottom. They can't fit in the ring, but they try! I would love any and all advice we can get from everyone as they grow! I can't believe how sweet they are!! I'll post the pics of them from in the egg to out. My daughter named them Chitter Chatter and Peepers. We don't know if they're girls or boys or one of each yet, it'll be a surprise. Chitter Chatter in the shell. His shell was cracked when we found him. Half of it came off. You can see the yolk sac behind his head.

Shortly after Peepers hatched. He had started to pip but then stopped. We helped unzip the shell (is that the right term?) and moistened the membrane that was completely dry and shrunk. He hatched the rest of the way on his own.
Peepers 3 hours after hatching.
Chitter Chatter started doing so much better when his sibling hatched.
24 hours after Peepers hatched.
In my hand. They love to just sit on my hand.

 

[lovinchickypoos]

How freakin' adorable ^^^!!!

 

[Duck Lover3000]

Hi everyone i was just wondering how many eggs a bantam Cayuga duck usually hatches because mine has about 21 eggs but she is not sitting on them yet she is only a small duck and also could I put some of her eggs under a clucky chicken or wouldn't other chicken look after the eggs the same