💕A HUGE thank you and a question about baby chicks and my duckling being together. 🥰

[AmyA248]

Good afternoon too all!

I wanted to write an open letter of heartfelt thanks and appreciation to all the wonderful people who helped me get through my journey of incubation and hatching my Muscovy duckling!
It honestly have to say this is the most beautiful and kind group of special people I have ever met.
You walked me through every question, every concern with understanding and kindness.
I could never have done this without all of you!
Now we have a happy, vivacious little duckling who is already running 100 mph!!
Now, as you know I’m very new at this and I mentioned that my husband allowed my daughter to have 4 chicken eggs to incubate.
One was not fertile but all 3 of the others hatched last night beautifully.
They are now in their brooder box and seem healthy. But, I know nothing about chickens.. So I have a questions.

* Why are they pecking each other in the face when they are only 20 hours old? Will they hurt each other? (I know that I must sound absolutely ridiculous to knowledgeable children raisers! Lol)

* My duckling is alone as I have staggered ages incubating. I read she could actually die of depression from being alone. So I was told I could put the chicks and the duckling together as they are only a few days apart in age.
But will they fight or pick on each other?
I’m not sure what to do, as obviously I can’t hold her all day.
I’m very much on the fence about this.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!!

And thank you ALL so very much!
Hugs & Blessings.
Amy

 

[sourland]

Congratulations on the incubation/hatching. Chicks peck at everything - it's how they determine what is good to eat. For several reasons I feel it is better to raise chicks and ducklings separately. Provide the duckling with a mirror for company until more hatch.

 

[_-Captain BRM-_]

I have kept ducklings and chicks together at young ages many times, and it has all gone well.

 

[Farmgirl283420]

Love your little duck!

 

[AmyA248]

Congratulations on the incubation/hatching. Chicks peck at everything - it's how they determine what is good to eat. For several reasons I feel it is better to raise chicks and ducklings separately. Provide the duckling with a mirror for company until more hatch.

Hi!

Oh, a mirror? Ok, great! Thank you so much.
And thank you for your sweet message, I had no idea how invested I would become in hatching these eggs.
I found that duck eggs are much harder. My chicks just popped out on their own with no problems at all, but all of my ducklings from last year needed assistance and the first surviving one from this year needed a safety hole that needed to be made quite large.
We had our real first duckling pass away before she externally piped. I did an eggtopsy and saw that her organs developed on the outside of her body and she never would have survived. It was heartbreaking.

Anyway, I’ve heard so many conflicting opinions about raising chicks and ducklings together and I’m a total beginner and it my first time hatching chickens.
But we did put them together yesterday in a little playpen and the duck was a bit aggressive and bullied the chicks a bit even though she is only 4 days old!
So she won’t suffer being alone? I have one in lockdown right now, it internally piped last night but no progression, so I had to make a safety hole this morning.
I don’t know what I’m doing wrong but my ducklings just will not hatch without assistance..
They are Muscovy’s and take 35-38 days to hatch.

Thank you again and have a great day.

 

[AmyA248]

I have kept ducklings and chicks together at young ages many times, and it has all gone well.

Hi!

Thank you for your reply.
There are so many different options on this subject that I honestly don’t know what I should do.
We put all 4 of them together in a little playpen in the living room and watched them closely. The chicks were very curious about the duckling and the duckling kept pecking at the chicks face and legs. She’s only 4 days old but has a very strong little bite already and is VERY active! I’m afraid she’s going to hurt our chicks.
I have another duck egg in lockdown right now, it internally piped yesterday afternoon, no progress was made at 2:00 AM when I checked on it, so I made a safety hole, and it’s been another 7 hours and still nothing.
All together it’s been about 20 hours since internal pipping, I can hear it peeping but no pecking on the shell.
I had to assist on the first one that we have now and assist last year with the first eggs we had.
They are Muscovy ducks and could take up to 38 days to hatch, but I’m nervous that this one could have become shrink wrapped. The humidity is at 75% and I’m starting to worry.

Thank you so much for your reply!!

 

[gimmie birdies]

I would not brood a duck with chicks if you are brooding in a plastic tub, that would be really bad. (Plastic tubs are bad anyway but that much water would be a disaster.)
If it were me I would brood in separate cardboard box with a window or a wire window between.

 

[AmyA248]

I would not brood a duck with chicks if you are brooding in a plastic tub, that would be really bad. (Plastic tubs are bad anyway but that much water would be a disaster.)
If it were me I would brood in separate cardboard box with a window or a wire window between.

Hi!

Oh, ok. So plastic tubs are not good?
I thought that they would be easier to clean and disinfect.
I’m afraid to use a large cardboard box due to the heat lamp and the fire hazard that comes along with them.

I know that chicks cannot get wet and my duckling, even though she’s only 4 days old, is already sitting and splashing in her water bowl even though it’s only 1/4 inch deep.
She’s already getting everything wet!
We have to have their brooders in our KITCHEN! And it’s not ideal. Unfortunately the weather in Connecticut is WAY to cold to put them outside or in the garage, so we have no choice.
We didn’t expect any egg laying so early in the season and our Muscovy has been laying since January 23rd!!
I have staggered ages in my incubator because she’s young and didn’t go broody. She’s 9 months old and this is her first time laying. I’m shocked that she’s still laying and had to choice but to separate her from the drakes, as I’m afraid she’ll become exhausted.
She just drops eggs anywhere and everywhere and many broke. I currently have 20 in my incubator and it’s completely full.

I honestly was not expecting this and I’m already having a hard time because I’m also a rescuer/rehabber, so I have another 3, 4 weeks old chicks and 2 3 week old Pekin ducklings, plus our 3, 2 day old chicks and our lone duckling and one currently in lockdown that has internally piped, made no progress so I had to make a safety hole last night and STILL no progress.
It’s peeping but not making any attempts to hatch.
So, of course I’m getting worried.
How long should I wait before assisting??
And do you think I should switch to cardboard boxes?
Also, my 3, older chicks are growing out of their brooder and I feel so bad that they are ruining out of room. What do I do?
I feel like I’m mistreating them!!

I’m sorry for all the questions, I’m just in over my head right now, but I made the commitment to raise the Pekins and older chicks until they are ready to be introduced to the flock of a very close friend that is unable to care for the babies.

I’ll include pictures of their current brooders.

Thank you so very much!
Blessings,
Amy

 

[AmeliaBedelia]

So this is my thought. Put the chicks in one clear tub and the duckling in a clear tub next door. Put a mirror in with the duckling- if you have one of those plastic baby mirrors for the car (that you are willing to sacrifice) that would be safest.

That way the duck can see his/her neighbors, but isnt splashing them.

Also for the duck, the plastic tub is going to get wet and moldy quickly if you aren’t careful. That can be a health hazard for them, so you may want to switch to cardboard with a heat plate (or diy one with a heating pad) or a dog crate with weed-blocker fabric to hold the bedding in but allow for more evaporation. Or just commit to switching out the wood chips daily.

It sounds like you know ducklings need to be able to dunk their faces in the water. Chicks should have marbles or pebbles in their water so they can’t fall in.

It is NOT recommended to let your duckling swim before their real feathers grow in because without the oils from their mom’s feathers, they aren’t waterproofed yet and can get chilled. Not as likely as will a baby chicken, but my hatchery still recommends against it.

 

[AmyA248]

So this is my thought. Put the chicks in one clear tub and the duckling in a clear tub next door. Put a mirror in with the duckling- if you have one of those plastic baby mirrors for the car (that you are willing to sacrifice) that would be safest.

That way the duck can see his/her neighbors, but isnt splashing them.

Also for the duck, the plastic tub is going to get wet and moldy quickly if you aren’t careful. That can be a health hazard for them, so you may want to switch to cardboard with a heat plate (or diy one with a heating pad) or a dog crate with weed-blocker fabric to hold the bedding in but allow for more evaporation. Or just commit to switching out the wood chips daily.

It sounds like you know ducklings need to be able to dunk their faces in the water. Chicks should have marbles or pebbles in their water so they can’t fall in.

It is NOT recommended to let your duckling swim before their real feathers grow in because without the oils from their mom’s feathers, they aren’t waterproofed yet and can get chilled. Not as likely as will a baby chicken, but my hatchery still recommends against it.

Hi!

Thank you so much for your help!
I plan to switch to wood chips today, I believe that they are old enough now that the dust won’t bother their little lungs.

I clean their tub twice per day by scrubbing it out with Dawn detergent. I tried a cardboard box, but the ducks didn’t like it because they couldn’t see out. Lol!
I have their water in a porcelain double sided, mini plant vase. It’s deep enough to completely submerge their beaks and they can’t tip it over. It’s actually working out great!
I have no water to be able to get into yet, although they sit in their water bowl!
Do you think that they are old enough for wood chips?
One is a week old and the other is 5 days old.
I’m am CONSTANTLY cleaning up poopy, literally each time I walk into the kitchen I’m cleaning poop!
I have a feeling I’m giving them too much probiotics, as they are pooping way too much for just 2 ducklings.
Is it possible to give them too much? And could it cause them to poop more?

I’m going to attach a photo of there brooder that I cleaned out last night at 11:00 PM, and this is how it looked at 7:00 AM (that’s 8 hours)
I stopped the probiotics this morning to see if it helps.

And as of last night we have yet another egg in lockdown!

Very kindly,
Amy

P.S. As you can see, they LOVE toys!