Help please...1st time to try and hatch baby ducks

[pattyhen]

Look at those faces, they are adoreable. I would keep them both too if they were mine. Thanks for sharing their pics.

 

[Carolinebigsky]

Babies are 2.5 weeks. They have some sprouts of feathers on their tails. They are an absolute blast! Still keep them inside but take them out 4 times a day and swim them 2 or 3 times a day. Bought them a house for the fall...but won't leave them there until we build a bottom cap to keep predators out.

We have our yard in 3 sections so they can eventually hang out in 1 section during the day and lock them up at night.

Total love

 

[Carolinebigsky]

Can anyone tell me the sex of my duck...Lou is 9 weeks old. Thanks so much

 

[WVduckchick]

@Carolinebigsky oh my goodness! How pretty! And I love that pool pic

Amazing how big they get so fast huh?

By 9 weeks you should hear a definite voice difference. Loud quacks are female, squeaky peeps are male. The drake feather, or curly tail feathers, might be a few more weeks. It looks like a black Swedish? Gorgeous baby. How about the other?

 

[WVduckchick]

This link has good sound bite examples of the difference in their quacks.

http://www.majesticwaterfowl.org/artquacks.htm

 

[bydhatch]

@Carolinebigsky is that a ramp I spy in the green pool?
I have the same pool sitting in my garage and separately want to get my two ducklings in something bigger but I don't know how to allow them to get out!

 

[WVduckchick]

I piled up rocks and bricks. They climb very well! Just make short steps for little ones.

Eta, on the inside too. I added a piece of carpet to lay them on inside.

 

[bydhatch]

I piled up rocks and bricks. They climb very well! Just make short steps for little ones.

Eta, on the inside too. I added a piece of carpet to lay them on inside.

Okay, thank you. I didn't think about bricks!

 

[WVduckchick]

Momma had them climbing in and out very young.

The ground slopes under my pool, so I had a few inches of water in the other side, out of picture frame.

 

[Carolinebigsky]

Yes...that is a ramp. My husband made it... But they never really used it...ha! But, it was cute!