Advice for a First Timer?! -Mallard Ducklings

[my3ducklings]

I recently aquired 3 baby Mallards from a neighbor who bought them as pets but decided they were too much work (she was planning on letting them into the wild, I couldn't bear the thought of those little guys getting gobbled up or starving!) So I am now suddenly the happy, yet nervous, momma to 3 little ducklings & I just want to make sure I'm doing things right for them. They are 3-4 weeks old (according to my neighbor). They have grown ALOT in the 10 days I've had them!


Their brooder is a shallow plastic container with a smaller container inset to keep the water from flooding their pine shavings. I keep them in the dog crate & I made bumpers for the sides out of cardboard covered in contact paper (to keep them safe just in case my cat gets curious!)
On the advice of the people at the local feed & grain store, I'm feeding them 'Home Fresh" brand poultry feed mash. I fill the bowl whenever its empty & give them fresh water 4-5 times per day- just today I switched from the red waterer in the picture to a deeper tupperware container that I cut large semi-circles out of the lid for them to be able to dip their heads & bills. I empty & scrub the entire cage every morning, then remove the wet/poopy bedding several times per day. Its alot of work! Any critique or advice on my setup & routine would be great!


They swim in the sink at least once a day for 15 mins- they LOVE it & its really adorable! We also let them run around the kitchen a few times per day so they can stretch their legs. The smallest one has started panting periodically today, which is concerning. It is pretty hot today, but my house is 78 F & they've had 2 coolish baths today. Should I call the vet or give it a few days?


(They don't love to be held & tend to run away from us, but my 11 yr old daughter is working on that!)

I plan on ordering a backyard chicken coop with an attached enclosed run & a kiddie pool to use as a pond. I've read that I should wait until they have their grown up feathers before I let them outside- I'm not sure how soon that will be, they have not started molting yet.
We live in southern NH & I was told by the people at the feed store that my Mallards will more than likely fly south for the winter (unless I clip their wings, which I don't plan on doing). I'm more than happy to give these ducks a loving healthy start to their lives & then let them fly free.

I would be grateful for any advice, tips, tricks from fellow duck owners! Thanks in advance!

 

[SpiderSilk]

The look less than a week old..... But I am new to ducks as well. Mine a 4 times that and are only 2weeks old

 

[Nyssa03]

Looks like you are doing a great job. You may want to get a bigger brooding area soon because they will grow even faster than you think. We have used stock tanks in the past and that seems to work well for couple of weeks - then you will probably need to graduate to something even bigger. If you have a safe area like a small barn or garage you can make them a larger space with baby - gates -- a big circle 4 -5 feet across works well, and you will have room for their water and feeders.
They also like chopped greens -- romaine is good chopped very fine - it seems to help them not to want to pull on each others feathers as they are coming in. good luck.

 

[my3ducklings]

Thank you for the advice on the brooder. My next big decision is what to order for an outdoor duck coop.
I plan on using chicken wire to fence off a large area in my backyard for them to roam when we are home. I wanted to order a coop with a completely enclosed (animal proof) run to keep them in when we're not home and at night, but I'm having trouble finding chicken coops that don't have steep ramps. Is it true that the ducks would not be able to hop up a ramp? Mine seem to be able to jump pretty high,( right out of their brooder when I open the door & then jump back in when they're done running around my kitchen!). Here is the coop that I would like to order, but I'm worried about the ramp:

• Dimensions: 63L x 41.5W x 48H inches
• Capacity: 3-4 Chickens

Otherwise, this is my 2nd choice, no ramp but a much smaller enclosed outer area:

Dimensions: 30L x 82W x 39H in.

• Capacity: 3-4 Chickens

I've seen the thread on here with some great pictures of homemade duck coops & beautiful pens. I'm only hesitant to do anything too permanent because I'm expecting my ducks to fly south once the colder weather comes. I need a coop/pen that can be set up & then taken back down when the ducks leave. I know it seems like I'm making a big fuss considering the ducks may only be here for a few months, but we're having a ball with our ducklings & I would love to do this again next summer.

 

[my3ducklings]

Quote: They might be younger, I'm going off of what my neighbor told me. She said she got them at about 1 week old, she had them for about 1 week & now I've had them for 11 days. I guess they could have been younger when she got them but they have to be at least 2 weeks old. They have practically doubled in size since I got them, it's crazy!

 

[SpiderSilk]

Here are mine at 2and a half weeks

 

[callmeRISH]

it is ILLEGAL to release pet ducks into the wild not only is it illegal it is cruel, they will not attempt to migrate its been bred out of them through years of domestication. they can fly though and will need to have feathers clipped.

 

[jennychick45]

How is it cruel i am sure they can survive if there is more than one of them. Or if a flock of mallards fly over they can tag along. They may not be able to survive but it is not cruel. She said she will let them fly away not release them. And if she gets other ducks like pekins who do not migrate then they will not either.If one does not want to migrate, there is a chance that the other two will not leave it.

it is ILLEGAL to release pet ducks into the wild not only is it illegal it is cruel, they will not attempt to migrate its been bred out of them through years of domestication. they can fly though and will need to have feathers clipped.

 

[callmeRISH]

It's cruel first of all because domestic ducks lack survival instincts and could carry diseases that the wild population hasn't experienced, and letting it fly away on purpose would technically be illegal. And from what I know domestic ducks won't really migrate.

 

[jennychick45]

i have 2 pekin ducks and 2 mallard and the pekins can not fly at all (too fat) and from what i understand is that since they have been raised together the mallards will not leave without the pekins because they are basically siblings.