Ruddy ducks

[waterdog]

Destin,
Ruddies can be a little temperamental what we do when moving young birds or getting new ruddies is put feed out in several spots near the pond and over the coarse of a week or two move them closer to the self feeders in the center of the pens. Once they find it they don't seem to have a problem just watch them at first sometimes when they are moved they will find a corner to hide in and won't come out if they do this we just drive them to the pond several times not all of them do this but we have lost several like this. But don't worry to much most adjust with no problems just something watch for.

 

[kangababy]

We have Ruddy Ducks as well.. I have loved them since I first saw them at 8 years old at Sea world and Told my dad I wanted a pair. He told me only Zoos had them... Well I have 5 pairs now, did have 6, but sold a pair because I raised 2 pairs and 2 extra hens this year and I have decided to keep 1 pair andthe two hens.
from my experience they are the meaniest little things. Shawn on my fb page (either personal or for the farm I can't remember) you can see an album when Ruddies Attack. During breeding season they fight with everyone... They think they are the big dogs in the pen.
Since ours are ina mixed collection we have a 200lb feeder in there. we typical put a 5 gallon bucket a day of feed in there and everyone including the Ruddies get out and eat. Our Ruddier like to lay on the concrete nect to the water or even the grass.
They are second year birds meaning the males don;t even get their color here until their second year. However ours stay colored longer than waterdog says he does. there is only 2 maybe 3 months a year our boys aren't colored. Which is strange because they are northern birds so you would think they would be colored longer up there.
My 6 girls this year were laying machines. They seemed to not dumb nest though I did have 1 greenwing teal hen take over a Ruddy Duck nest and hatch out babies for me. I learned to take the eggs away from them once they had a full lcutch and let the Cochin sit on them because if you lost track of time and tose babies hatched and got to the water... Oh my, catching them was fun. It took m over 2 hours one day to catch three babies because they would dive.
for us hatching them wasn't the problem but keeping them alive was. At the end of the season we finally figured it out I hope for next year.
They need to be in a brooder by themselves. No other breed. Ruddies of the same or verl close to the same age. We ffed them the Mazuri starter with mealworms on it that we actully feed the mealworms mazuri as well. Then we had one waterer in there with clean water and another one we would put floater on eery day so they could see it. We hatched 20+ out this year and ended up with 6 that have made it and 5 that made it until they were almost fully grown and we put them int he big pen to finish out. We lost those 5.
We hae two wet brooders but last year when we had some hatch we tried that and didn't do goof with them here.

I love my Ruddies!! so much my last tattoo was of a Ruddy Feather lol

 

[destinduck]

Thanks for the info Waterdog. Karen did you start with just one pair?Were they mean when you first added them in your big pen?Maybe the other birds didnt beat them up because of the size of your pen is enormous.(I say this in a good way) Did you happen to see the other type babies in waterdogs brooder pic though lol!. There are several different ways to rear them. But with regards to with or without the mixing of types in the brooder. I have always leaned toward the mixing in brooders like waterdogs pic. Mainly to teach the harder to get to eat birds to eat without having to force feed them being the main reason for myself. Anyway,whichever way is the best Im sure Im going to let the first pair do it all on their own with none of me interfering in eggs or chick rearing. Right or wrong, I do this with all first time breeding birds so I can personally observe their whole behavior from the courting to the parents rearing them.

 

[destinduck]

Well I finally get my ruddy pair and some other cool new quackers and wouldnt you know it. The hen poked her head thru the chicken wire and grabbed hold of the electric wire sometime during the next night and got fried! Man was me and especially my son bummed out. But the good news is a friend is gonna get me a trio to go with our now lonely male. My son loves them so much I just had to get him another pair. Ive only had that happen one other time out of countless birds. They both didnt seem to mind getting out of the water and the males eating and seems to be doing great. You can bet I will turn off the hotwire for the first week this next time just for the halibut.

 

[chickenzoo]

Oh no.....how heartbreaking. You may want to switch to intermittent current charger rather than constant up against the pen...to prevent frying........ Glad you found some others. I'd like to find some one day...they are so cute.

 

[destinduck]

My buddy I got them from swayed me just a little."Awww, dont worry bout that"... thats all it took for me not to unplug it. But I aint blaming him at all or crying over the spilt milk. They ARE cute little butterballs. I doubt I'll change chargers because like I said its only happenened one other time. I should turn it off a coupla days when adding any new birds. I havent had predator problems in a good long while. I guess out of all the years Ive had it on Its took out 2 squirrels, 3 rats,1 hawk and 1 wooduck. These were the ones trying to get in from the outside. On the inside only the ruddy and a cinnamon teal that were just added to the avairy all on very wet days to boot. Newly added birds always have to learn where the boundries are of the net and enclosure. I never had European widgeons. One of the new birds we got was a male European widgeon my good friend Joey gave me. My son loves Am.widgeons but he really likes this new one and especially the call it makes. The new male ruddy is fun to watch. Cant wait to get him company!

 

[chickenzoo]

With all the birds and livestock I have. ..I just keep the intermittent...but I have 5 GP dogs to patroll. ....
I was tramatizzed as a.child by a baby cardinal landing on our constant current hotwire and smoking..... lol

 

[destinduck]

Well Time for an update. Got a new trio (boy and two girls) to go with my lone male. After only two days two suddenly just died (boy and a girl). I know that they will sometimes die from stress going to a different locale. Bummer, but it happens sometimes. Hope my only pair makes it.

 

[chickenzoo]

So very sorry.....that's heartbreaking.

 

[OzawkieBantams]

Dang man sorry to hear that