New to ducks and needing advice please

Hi
As anyone who has been reading the chicken threads will know, I'm new to chickens too but thanks to all the advice I'm coming along really nicely and am really enjoying them.

I've just moved from a townhouse to a big plot and loving all the space and the freedom it allows me to pursue my hobbies - which up until now has been finches (the only bird small and quiet enough not to attract attention from neighbours in a townhouse).

I find myself keeping ducks quite unexpectedly but it is something I have ALWAYS wanted to do.
The idea to keep them started when I had reserved and paid for a silkie hen at a specialist bird shop.
When I went to collect her I found that after some confusion they had given her to the wrong person.
I decided that I would use the money I had already paid to buy a pair of ducks after seeing a whole variety in the stores pond and deciding that I should at last start this as a hobby.
I went away empty handed however, deciding instead to first build a pond and enclosure and get everything ready, as well as researching a bit more and then come back for a pair.

On the way home after realizing I had forgotten to buy finch food, I stopped at another pet store.
In an aviary outside they had the tiniest duckings I have ever seen - I'm not sure but they look like a day or two to me.
I wasn't sure what kind of care they would get or who would end up buying them so I bought all 9 myself
Now I'm no duck expert as I said but at least I have cared for other birds and I know that they've got to be kept warm, especially at night.

Unfortunately the pet shop didn't know what kind of ducks they were. 8 are yellow and one is black with a bit of yellow (looks remarkably similar to the call duck babies in another thread). The black one was maybe just a tiny bit smaller than the others but I think that may be because he's the runt.

I'm using past tense for the black one because unfortunately I came back from work to find it dead
They did so well yesterday, walking around the whole day in a big room. I was there to watch them all day however and then last night I put them to sleep on a bed of straw with heaters blazing in the room so that the whole room was a nice cozy temperature.

Unfortunately yesterday must have given me a false sense of confidence - today I left early for work, thinking I'd be able to have a quick break at lunchtime to come back and check on them. I didn't get to have my break

I had turned off the big gas heater while at work, leaving a small heater on. I thought that they'de be more comfortable than the day before even, when they had been just fine.
I left a very shallow bowl of water and some food.
When I came home, very late unfortunately, I found the black one face down and sopping wet but still breathing.
I tried frantically to dry it off and to keep it's shallow breathing going but it was a futile attempt in the end :'(
I have to say I haven't been as gutted about something as this in a long long time.
I keep withing I had found a way to sneak off home.
How it had managed to get so wet I don't know.
The others were obviously a bit wet and cold too and as soon as I ha finished trying to revive the black one I dried them with a hair dryer and turned on the big gas heater.

At least now I know something to watch out or with the others I suppose.
Tomorrow I think I will make a little wire fitting over a water dish so that they can dip their beaks but not get their entire bodies wet.

Sorry for the loooooong essay but if anyone can give me some advice about raising them I'd really appreciate it - eg best food, best way to keep them warm without having a huge gas heater blazing away all night and using up an entire canister a night.
With regards to heating I wasn't even able to buy a desk lamp today but was worried anyway about getting the bulb too close and burning them.
I thought of 2 options for tomorrow - buying a hanging infra red gas heating lamp from a store nearby that sells chicken supplies or an actual proper brooder from a pet store.

I'd also like to get advice about keeping mandarins and ducks in general but maybe I'll start another thread for that.
Once we've determined what kind of ducks these are, I'd also like to know if I'll need to keep them in an enclosure or if I can let them swim in the river that flows through the property and have a pen for them to come back to in the evening.

End if essay - at last!

Pls excuse all the bad grammar and spelling mistakes but it's been a very long day

Where to start. These ducks need to be in a secure brooder with a heat lamp. A large, long sterilite bin will do. Put a clean bath towel in the bottom, pref one that has NOT been washed with heavily perfumed detergent or dryer sheets. Ducks are sensitive to chemicals and smells. You can also use pine shavings as bedding, but that makes a big mess. Towels are way better. You need a small gravity fed waterer so the ducks can drink and submerge their faces without getting into the dish. That is likely why your baby died... they are much too young to get wet and be in water unattended. They have no mother to teach them. If you must use a dish for water you need to fill it with marbles or clean small rocks so they cannot drown in it. (Wire mesh is a bad idea as they could get their heads caught.) You also need to get some NON-medicated starter to feed them. This should be put in a small shallow dish right next to their water. They need access to water while eating or they will choke. The heat lamp should shine into a corner of their bin so that they can get away from it if they are too hot. I use 70-75w incandescent bulbs with a reflector. Ambient room temp should be between 70-80 degrees. You also need to get "Storey's Guide to Raising Ducks" stat to help fill in the blanks.

What exactly are they in now?

A few links to get you started:


http://www.amazon.com/Miller-Manufacturing-740-Mason-Water/dp/B001AWJ32I/ref=pd_sim_petsupplies_3

http://www.amazon.com/Miller-Manufacturing-690-1-Quart-Waterer/dp/B000BO58PW/ref=pd_bxgy_lg_text_y

http://www.amazon.com/Manna-Pro-Non-Medicated-Chick-Starter/dp/B003AEXOEW

http://www.amazon.com/Bayco-SL-302B3-Brooder-Porcelain-Ceramic/dp/B0061MZ4Q6/ref=pd_sim_lg_5

The ducks will need a very secure, predator-proof enlosure to sleep in at night when they are older. There are many photos on this site of duck enclosures. (I personally feel that chain-link dog kennels are not safe for ducks as predators can reach in or dig under.) A large chicken coop or purpose-built shed with half-inch wire hardware cloth covering all openings is best as raccoons cannot reach in and grab them. It will also keep them warm in winter. You will also need to sink wire mesh around the perimeter to prevent digging if you have an open floor. If you work I would also recommend that you keep them in an enclosed, covered run during the day. With nobody to watch them they could easily be taken by a fox, hawk, or other pred while you are gone. My ducks only free range when there is someone home to supervise and my property is securely fenced on all sides. As for the river, that depends on whether it is safe. Many members here have lost their ducks to snapping turtles, so you need to be sure any natural body of water is SAFE before allowing domestic ducks on it. They cannot fly to escape attacks and are, literally, sitting ducks.

Also, be aware that metals are very toxic to ducks... do not use metal feeders and be sure there are no metal objects in their environment that could be ingested. Staples, clips, washers, screws, etc. They will also eat poisonous plants as they have no wild instincts, so be sure there isn't anything toxic on your property before you let them outside to free range. I had to rip nearly every plant and shrub out of my yard and relandscape to make it safe for my ducks...

Very good advise and I'll just add this https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/750869/raising-and-caring-for-ducklings#post_10611711
plus and pics of new babies when you get a chance.

Sounds like really great advice, thanks CaptainQwak and also thanks Lydia for the link.
I'm going to get started on it now.
CaptainQwak at the moment it's 10pm here and they are in a box with some very high sides so that they can't jump out.
They are on a bedding of dry straw.
I have them closed in a small room with some heaters on and the room is nice and toasty.
Earlier on in the day they were in a large fish tank in the room with a bedding of straw.

They are all dried off now and seem to be warm, content and doing well.
I completely underestimated how wet they could get from the tiny bit of water in the dish
I knew that they needed some water when they eat but I thought the dish was shallow enough.
Tomorrow I'll build them a brooder using the instructions you gave me together with the lamp and a gravity fed water dispenser.
I have the non medicated starter food already.

I took some photo's - my computers broken at the moment and I'm posting from my phone - as soon as it's fixed I'll put them up - they are so cute!
Thanks again!

Glad to be of help... definitely post pics of your cute babies!!!

ps. Don't beat yourself up about the one you lost... accidents happen and we all make mistakes. RIP.

CaptainQwak said:

ps. Don't beat yourself up about the one you lost... accidents happen and we all make mistakes. RIP.

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