- Jan 31, 2014
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Hello,
I am new to BackYard Chickens so I hope I am posting this in the right place! About five months ago, after doing a ton of research, I purchased two mandarin ducks, I named them Lola and Lyle. They are a breeding pair and they live in a 12ftL/8ftH/8ftW aviary/duck pen, with a very nice indoor coop attached. In the pen there is a nice 2ft deep by 6ft long by 2ft wide galvanized water trough I use as a pond. Also in the pen is a couple of nice hand made nest boxes, a large stump, and some long branches stretching across the pen for them to sit on. It is a very nice set up in my eyes. So here's the issue, breeding season is approaching and I am hoping for my hen to have some ducklings, however I have been doing more research on breeding them and hatching the eggs and the more research I do the more I found out that it isn't as easy as it looks. I just thought that the mandarins would just nest and have ducklings like my mallards do, but now I am reading things saying that you have to feed them certain kinds of food, and place their nest boxes right next to water. So I guess what I am trying to get at is, does anybody have any advise for me such as food to feed during the breeding season and off season, where to place my nest boxes in the pen, or anything else that I should know? Any
advise would help!
Thanks a bunch!!
I am new to BackYard Chickens so I hope I am posting this in the right place! About five months ago, after doing a ton of research, I purchased two mandarin ducks, I named them Lola and Lyle. They are a breeding pair and they live in a 12ftL/8ftH/8ftW aviary/duck pen, with a very nice indoor coop attached. In the pen there is a nice 2ft deep by 6ft long by 2ft wide galvanized water trough I use as a pond. Also in the pen is a couple of nice hand made nest boxes, a large stump, and some long branches stretching across the pen for them to sit on. It is a very nice set up in my eyes. So here's the issue, breeding season is approaching and I am hoping for my hen to have some ducklings, however I have been doing more research on breeding them and hatching the eggs and the more research I do the more I found out that it isn't as easy as it looks. I just thought that the mandarins would just nest and have ducklings like my mallards do, but now I am reading things saying that you have to feed them certain kinds of food, and place their nest boxes right next to water. So I guess what I am trying to get at is, does anybody have any advise for me such as food to feed during the breeding season and off season, where to place my nest boxes in the pen, or anything else that I should know? Any
advise would help!
Thanks a bunch!!