Rescued ducks

[renaenae]

Yesterday my husband and I rescued 2 ducks from a guy I work with. He was just going to set them loose. We have had other ducks in the past so I know the basics. However, we have no idea how old these ducks are. They have NO feathers yet. I don't know what kind of ducks they are either. We have them outside in a small chicken coop--big enough for about 4 full grown chickens. It's been plenty warm here so i'm not worried about the temps. My biggest concern is their eating habits. Apparently this guy only fed them bread and apparently not often. My husband gave them some feed yesterday and they wouldn't stop eating. They ate until their crops were very full. We ended up removing the food for a couple hours and put it back. I don't want to give them treats or anything until their regular eating habits are better. Also, do they need to be feathered at all before introducing them to the pool. We were going to use the bathtub until they were bigger so they don't chill with the wind. Any suggestions would be much appreciated. These little guys got a rough start, but we are hoping to make it better.

Thanks
Renae
Center Point, WV

 

[CorinneP]

in warm weather my children love nothing better than letting very young ducks swim around in a kiddie pool.. the ducks loved it and never hurt them as long as it is warm so they can dry off I think they would thank you for it !

 

[Wynette]

Renae, can you post pics of them? They may be only a few weeks old, and if they don't have feathers yet, they shouldn't spend more than about 20-30 minutes swimming or they could catch a chill. Supervised swimming is great for them - but make sure to pat them dry and that they have a WARM place to dry off afterward.

Bless you for taking these guys on! I hope you enjoy them.

As far as the feeding, I think that was a smart thing to do, removing the food when their crops were so full. However, it won't take long before they'll be just fine, and honestly, taking the food away may panic them into gorging again when you put it back down, so it might be best to just leave it down all the time - I hope others will pop in with feedback, as I'm very new to ducks, so I could be wrong!

 

[renaenae]

I will post some pics--but it won't be until tomorrow. I'm on my way out the door to work. They seem to be doing well today--not eating as much. They are drinking plenty that's for sure. They have access to outside right now as it's 90 degrees today, but they have not wanted anything to do with that--it's in a pen not just loose. thanks for the info--i'll update tomorrow with pics.

 

[Neecolaah]

Wonderful of you to take them in!

Its nice that there are 2, so they have company.
Mine came solo, so I put a small stuffed duck in his/her box so there's something to cuddle with.
Pictures here... https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/659413/luckee-watch-our-rescued-duckling-grow-d

If you go the "better safe than sorry" route and seperate them for a little bit, it should certainly be in a way that allows them to still see each other, but I highly recommend the stuffed animal route as a cuddle buddy during that period....they just seem happier that way.



Good luck to you and your little ones!

 

[renaenae]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/gallery/album/view/id/6208088/user_id/63110
Here's the link to the duck album. I'm not sure it's gonna work--let me know.

 

[renaenae]

Ok the link worked--So this morning they actually ventured outside for a little bit. They were running around acting like a couple of nuts. They are finally eating normally. They are gonna get a bath today. Outside in the baby pool if it warms up. if not, the bathtub it is. The pics are of them a little wet from their waterer. I found out at work yesterday that they were kept in a tote small enough they couldnt really walk around much. I'm not sure if they ever got much water. The guy said they would never drink water--well they have more than made up for it that's for sure. Anyways.....If anybody can tell me how old these little guys are and what kind of duck they are, that would be great. I'm assuming they are Pekin ducks--I guess they were purchased at Tractor Supply. Our usually only have Pekin and Mallards. Def not Mallards.

 

[veronicasmom]

Can I come and beat the $(%**% out of that guy!
Thank goodness you ended up with them! Bless you. They are adorable. Good luck and keep us posted.

 

[Tahai]

You are a good-hearted woman, Renae.

The one duck with the overlapping feet in the pictures looks like it may have leg problems caused by niacin deficiency. In fact, both are probably deficient due to their early diet. If you have the funds, it would be a good idea to get niacin supplement to add to their water. Or, you could get a vitamin supplement for their water, such as save-a-chick.

Niacin deficiency in waterfowl is serious business. http://metzerfarms.blogspot.com/2011/03/are-my-ducklings-leg-problems-due-to.html

 

[renaenae]

I have some save a chick--how long should i give it to them? Veronicasmom--you will have to stand in line. I'm not sure who's more upset me or my hubby. They did get some playtime in the pool today--funny stuff. One of them has a regular high pitched chirp and one has a raspy quieter chirp--does that mean one is a boy and one is a girl??? I know that's true for call ducks but i wasn't sure if that's all ducks or not. thanks guys!!!!