New to ducks!

[TheDan]

On the recommendation of needlessjunk I found some ducklings local to me and 5 "followed" me home. I've never raised any fowl before, so I'm not sure what I've got myself into yet

Man those ducklings really make a mess with their water... They must splash three quarters of it out instead of drinking it. Makes a wet mess of their bedding. This morning I set the waterer on a small brick so that it's about head high to them. Hopefully that will cut down on how much they splash out.

 

[needlessjunk]

Ugh... I just wrote out a long post and it got lost!

Super cute babies!!!

Anyway here is the short of it. Take a read through this https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/750869/raising-and-caring-for-ducklings#post_10611711. Also feel free to look through some of my pics for waterer ideas to help cut down on the mess. Cool whip and sour cream containers with a hole in the lid help tons!

What are you feeding them? Ducks need more niacin than chicks and nutritional/brews yeast sprinkled over their food is a great way of making sure they get enough. HEB has it in the bulk section.

ETA:
I remember what else I wrote about...
Be prepared for them to grow insanely fast and need a brooder upgrade. Also to you have a thermometer in there with them? I would look into getting Storey's Guide to Raising Ducks. The library does have Storey's guide to poultry which would be worth checking out.

 

[TheDan]

Yeah I can see them getting bigger everyday

I do have a thermometer and it's staying around 88° in there. When they bed down, they lay down near the lamp but not directly under it. They definitely seem happy. I'm currently feeding them Purina Flock Raiser. I don't see niacin listed on the package so I'll pick up some yeast for them. Thanks for the tips!

 

[Orca5094]

I just have to say, that is a really cute bundle of duckling you've got there!!

 

[Miss Lydia]

Yeah I can see them getting bigger everyday

I do have a thermometer and it's staying around 88° in there. When they bed down, they lay down near the lamp but not directly under it. They definitely seem happy. I'm currently feeding them Purina Flock Raiser. I don't see niacin listed on the package so I'll pick up some yeast for them. Thanks for the tips!

Not baking yeast, brewers yeast or nutritional yeast. and Welcome to BYC

those babies are so precious..Enjoy!be sure to read the guide to raising and caring for ducklings you don't want to cook your babies so you need to follow guidelines for temps in the brooder. It's the link needlessjunk gave you.

 

[Chicks and Bees]

Can you tell me what kind of yeast to get? I only have nutritional yeast, baking yeast, and wind yeast. Thanks! And also where to get it.

 

[needlessjunk]

Can you tell me what kind of yeast to get? I only have nutritional yeast, baking yeast, and wind yeast. Thanks! And also where to get it.

I'm going to guess pekins. They are little cuties. Nutritional yeast or brews yeast are what you need. Don't use any type of baking yeast. Health food, specialty stores, GNC, amazon.com or in my case my local grocery store has it in the bulk food section.

 

[Kaessa]

Can you tell me what kind of yeast to get? I only have nutritional yeast, baking yeast, and wind yeast. Thanks! And also where to get it.

Nutritional yeast or brewer's yeast. You can get them at any health food or vitamin store.

 

[needlessjunk]

Nutritional yeast or brewer's yeast. You can get them at any health food or vitamin store.

Either. They are about the same nutritionally. They have a few different types of vitamins and minerals but both have the B vitamins and Niacin needed. Nutritional yeast is easier for me to get but most use brews yeast since that is cheaper.

 

[Chicks and Bees]

Thanks so much. Yes Pekin. The pond is 3-4 houses past my house, a subdivision with a field. Do you think I can train them to walk back and forth from my house to the pond? I thought I would try to walk them back and forth. Who knows, once they get in the pond, they might never come out! Will they want to just live at the pond or will they return to my house for feed or shelter? I was also reading the posts about male ducks and chickens. Is is possible for them to live together, or is it a given that the male ducks will try to mate the female chickens?