Pet Ducks Dumped in Neighborhood Pond, Help?

[SansDuck]

@Miss Lydia @Cayuga momma @shawluvsbirds

I have so much to update everyone on! Should I make a long comment on this thread with the updates or start a new thread?

I think everyone is going to be excited!

 

[Texag87]

@Miss Lydia @Cayuga momma @shawluvsbirds

I have so much to update everyone on! Should I make a long comment on this thread with the updates or start a new thread?

I think everyone is going to be excited!

Just post it here.

 

[ShrekDawg]

Just post it here.

Agreed. Makes it easier.

 

[ShrekDawg]

@Miss Lydia @Cayuga momma @shawluvsbirds

I have so much to update everyone on! Should I make a long comment on this thread with the updates or start a new thread?

I think everyone is going to be excited!

Post it here. Makes it easier.

 

[PattyNH]

@SansDuck What is it?? I can't take the suspense!!!

 

[SansDuck]

First, I want to thank everyone for the help and kindness over the past few weeks.

And second, I was not expecting to get so many comments. I tried my best to reply to everyone but I did miss a few. But I read every comment, and took everyones suggestions to heart.
Onto the updates.

We got their diet completely changed. No more chicken food, just flock raiser from now on. The girl gets a bowl of oyster shells and they both share a bowl of grits.
They are well stocked up on food, and treats for a good while.
They also get Nutritional Yeast sprinkled on their food. And thank you Miss Lydia for recommending the PND, they really perked up after having it in their drinking water.

Both bags are 50lbs, my back should know.


Thank you @KDOGG331 for suggesting the bag of grits, Im sorry I forgot to reply to your comment.

No more food or water inside of their ark, and food/oyster shells gets locked up inside the garage at night.
We leave their water, and bowl of grits inside their pen at night but they get locked inside their duck ark at sundown.

They can no longer swim, or poo inside their drinking water.
We used ideas on other threads, and our kind sister in law donated us this food grade safe bucket.

The bucket says "Duck Sause", my sister in law has a good snice of humor.
I have to admit its pretty funny, and very appropriate for a ducks water dish.

The duck ark got moved closer to the house, now we can keep a closer eye on them 24/7. And its makes hosing them down a lot easier.

They got a brand new pen.
Before I post pictures, I want to say we are going to make it 100% predator proof within the month.

We will buy hardware cloth, and cover the bottom, sides, and gaps around the door of their pen with it.
As of right now they only use their pen in the daytime under supervision, and locked up with a key at night.

I do realize the gaps are huge enough for something to grab them, but it will get it update with hardware cloth, I promise.

Also the pen gets locked up anytime we are not out their supervising them.

And just to repeat they get locked in ther duck ark every night with key as well as the pen.

Ever snice they go their new pen, they have been coming out of their duck ark. It use to take hours for them to come out, now it's like ten minutes at most.

Fergus and Downy enjoying that fresh green grass.

They are becoming more comfortable with us, they let us pick them up to check for bumble foot. I forgot to take pictures, but my SO said their feet looked healthy on the bottom.

Downy did have a small hole through the webbing on one of her feets. I think she might of stepped on something sharp.

We might end up grabbing some poultry wound spray for it, what does everyone think? The hole on her webbed foot is the size of a pin hole.

They officially got a kiddie pool, and they both seem to love it. They splashed, and stayed in for a while cleaning themselves. They both can get out safely, but I did but a brick ramp in front of it to make it easier.

Last major update, and perhaps the most egg-citing of all.
Yesterday, we discover not one but two eggs inside their ark on the same day. We are 99% positive they were laid on the same day.

Its way to early to tell if they are fertile or not, but we did end up taking them inside the house. As Downy had no interest in sitting on the eggs.

We did candle them, we know it's way to early to tell if they fertile. But here are the pictures if anyone is curious to see.

egg 1

egg 2

Both eggs are currently set up in a homemade incubator, with stuff we found around the house.

This is a pic of when we first got them in the incubator, hudmity was only 34 and temp was at 106.

sorry the image is mirrored, but the temp is currently 100 and the humidity is at 65. Trying to get the humidity at a perfect 55.

What does everyone think, is this a decent enough incubator?
I know theres no grantee they are fertile, but if they are, would this set up work fine?

Also is it normal for a duck to lay two eggs in one day? Because I swear we would of noticed a egg yesterday if their was one.
Does this mean they are white layers? Can pekin ducks lay two eggs in one day.

And before someone say we could have two girls. Fergus was in the pool mating with Downy again, and we clearly saw his penis once he fell off.

I think this was all the updates.

I know we need to get some hardware cloth on that pen asap, and we will post pictures on the updated pen once it's done.

But besides that, I think we got everything else right.
Hopefully we are one our way to being great duck owners.
Being a duck Papa is hard, but they are very rewarding animals.

And I just wanted to say again, thank you everyone for the help and advice.

Without everyone here on BYC, these ducks would currently be in a open pen, eating chicken food.
Everyone has taught me so much on duck ownership, and I cant thank you enough for it.

I definitely will be keeping everyone on BYC updated with their pen, and the eggs development.

 

[onaharley]

Love the upgrades!

 

[Jpat]

Thats soo awesome! Glad your enjoying it

 

[Cayuga momma]

First, I want to thank everyone for the help and kindness over the past few weeks.

And second, I was not expecting to get so many comments. I tried my best to reply to everyone but I did miss a few. But I read every comment, and took everyones suggestions to heart.
Onto the updates.

We got their diet completely changed. No more chicken food, just flock raiser from now on. The girl gets a bowl of oyster shells and they both share a bowl of grits.
They are well stocked up on food, and treats for a good while.
They also get Nutritional Yeast sprinkled on their food. And thank you Miss Lydia for recommending the PND, they really perked up after having it in their drinking water.

View attachment 1682700
Both bags are 50lbs, my back should know.


Thank you @KDOGG331 for suggesting the bag of grits, Im sorry I forgot to reply to your comment.

View attachment 1682705

No more food or water inside of their ark, and food/oyster shells gets locked up inside the garage at night.
We leave their water, and bowl of grits inside their pen at night but they get locked inside their duck ark at sundown.

View attachment 1682712

They can no longer swim, or poo inside their drinking water.
We used ideas on other threads, and our kind sister in law donated us this food grade safe bucket.

View attachment 1682715 The bucket says "Duck Sause", my sister in law has a good snice of humor.
I have to admit its pretty funny, and very appropriate for a ducks water dish.

The duck ark got moved closer to the house, now we can keep a closer eye on them 24/7. And its makes hosing them down a lot easier.

They got a brand new pen.
Before I post pictures, I want to say we are going to make it 100% predator proof within the month.

We will buy hardware cloth, and cover the bottom, sides, and gaps around the door of their pen with it.
As of right now they only use their pen in the daytime under supervision, and locked up with a key at night.

I do realize the gaps are huge enough for something to grab them, but it will get it update with hardware cloth, I promise.

View attachment 1682718
Also the pen gets locked up anytime we are not out their supervising them.

And just to repeat they get locked in ther duck ark every night with key as well as the pen.

Ever snice they go their new pen, they have been coming out of their duck ark. It use to take hours for them to come out, now it's like ten minutes at most.

View attachment 1682724 View attachment 1682725 Fergus and Downy enjoying that fresh green grass.

They are becoming more comfortable with us, they let us pick them up to check for bumble foot. I forgot to take pictures, but my SO said their feet looked healthy on the bottom.

Downy did have a small hole through the webbing on one of her feets. I think she might of stepped on something sharp.

We might end up grabbing some poultry wound spray for it, what does everyone think? The hole on her webbed foot is the size of a pin hole.

They officially got a kiddie pool, and they both seem to love it. They splashed, and stayed in for a while cleaning themselves. They both can get out safely, but I did but a brick ramp in front of it to make it easier.


View attachment 1682733

Last major update, and perhaps the most egg-citing of all.
Yesterday, we discover not one but two eggs inside their ark on the same day. We are 99% positive they were laid on the same day.

Its way to early to tell if they are fertile or not, but we did end up taking them inside the house. As Downy had no interest in sitting on the eggs.

View attachment 1682735
We did candle them, we know it's way to early to tell if they fertile. But here are the pictures if anyone is curious to see.
View attachment 1682736 egg 1
View attachment 1682738 egg 2

Both eggs are currently set up in a homemade incubator, with stuff we found around the house.

View attachment 1682742This is a pic of when we first got them in the incubator, hudmity was only 34 and temp was at 106.
View attachment 1682743 sorry the image is mirrored, but the temp is currently 100 and the humidity is at 65. Trying to get the humidity at a perfect 55.

What does everyone think, is this a decent enough incubator?
I know theres no grantee they are fertile, but if they are, would this set up work fine?

Also is it normal for a duck to lay two eggs in one day? Because I swear we would of noticed a egg yesterday if their was one.
Does this mean they are white layers? Can pekin ducks lay two eggs in one day.

And before someone say we could have two girls. Fergus was in the pool mating with Downy again, and we clearly saw his penis once he fell off.

I think this was all the updates.

I know we need to get some hardware cloth on that pen asap, and we will post pictures on the updated pen once it's done.

But besides that, I think we got everything else right.
Hopefully we are one our way to being great duck owners.
Being a duck Papa is hard, but they are very rewarding animals.

And I just wanted to say again, thank you everyone for the help and advice.

Without everyone here on BYC, these ducks would currently be in a open pen, eating chicken food.
Everyone has taught me so much on duck ownership, and I cant thank you enough for it.

I definitely will be keeping everyone on BYC updated with their pen, and the eggs development.

Congratulations on the eggs. 2 eggs in one day is possible. Usually it takes 24 hours to lay an egg, but sometimes you get two eggs or soft shelled eggs when they first start laying. It doesn't mean they are white layers.
I'm so happy that your duckies are feeling more comfortable. Sounds like you are doing everything right. (I know nothing about incubation, so I'm no help there.)
Thanks for keeping us updated!

 

[Miss Lydia]

My only knowledge of incubation is I leave it up to my Muscovys and chicken hens!! I love all the upgrades looks great and good to see them out enjoying themselves. As for what you’ve done so far it all looks good just know (and we’ve all found this out) your going to be adding on especially if those eggs hatch it’s just the way it is with duck math