What kind of ducks are these?

[PhoenixPharm]

They are 3-4 days old...all yellow, pinkish beaks/legs....got them at TS and they didn't know what they were. There were others there that had brown markings. I asked for all yellow ones hoping they were pekin. The one still has it's egg tooth. Do rouens/mallards have brown on them as soon as they hatch?

 

[GPBII]

Rouens/mallards will have brown when they hatch. They look like pekin!

 

[halfwildacres]

You don't happen to live in Ohio do you? LOL our TSC had "mystery" ducklings that were yellow with grey masks and patches on them. They are currently brooding in my garage, lol. Yours look much more like Pekins than mine do. In fact, yours look very much like the Pekins we got last spring. Ducks are even more addictive than chickens, so have fun and enjoy!

 

[halfwildacres]

I always brood in my garage. You're right that as they get bigger they get messier, and then they also SMELL. I love ducks and I love ducklings, but man I hate brooding them lol. With two, you might not have as much of a mess on your hands. I have 19 right now and I guarantee I will have at least one more round before I'm done lol.

My garage has a back room that is insulated. So even when it's extra cold outside, the temp holds steady. When it's extra cold, I either add a second heat lamp or I lower the lamp I have on. This way I know the peepers can get warm no matter how cold it is. Could you get a large cardboard box, or larger totes to keep your brooder in? This would just add another barrier between the babies and the cold.

 

[halfwildacres]

It's awesome! all the water/food mess goes right down into the pan

I'm sold! I have a bunch of baking racks I'm going to put to use today!!!

 

[lomine]

Good to hear. I just want to make sure. I've seen quite a few posts were people got ducklings but didn't know their basic needs. I figured better safe than sorry. Seems like you're off to a great start.

I agree that they get messier and smellier as they grow. Soon they will discover that they can play in the little tray at the bottom of the waterer and they will empty it. One morning I filled mine and 4 ducklings had it empty in the time it took me to get dressed. I think it was at the two week mark when I started using a cool whip container with a hole cut in the lid so they would have water all day. I also used an old milk jug with a hole cut in the side. By the time they were 4 weeks I switched to just having two milk jugs. They will messy the water with their food but they can't knock it all out of the container.

I think the coated baking rack over the pan is fine. I've seen many who use that method and the holes are close enough together their feet shouldn't get stuck.

I also agree that you should move them to an area where you have better control over the temperature. They can't regulate their body temperatures at this age so they can't handle the cold for long periods.

 

[lomine]

I wouldn't worry about it. If they get cold they will move closer to the heat.

 

[halfwildacres]

I am also in Ohio and I got mystery ducklings from TSC. Also yellow with brownish grey markings on their heads. They were marked as Pekins but an employee said that the box they came in was labeled Khaki Campbells. They definitely weren't either lol. A really helpful person here said that they were fawn and white Runner ducks. One week later and they are starting to resemble runners a little. I hope that helps! If you want to message me, I can send you pics of mine to see if they match.

 

[halfwildacres]

Here you go! I didn't want to hijack your post.

 

[duckitup]

Gosh I just love baby ducks! Your babies are adorable!!!

I've only had ducks for a little under a year now so I'm just a beginner. So don't take anything I have to say as even probable because I'm clueless when it comes to breeds. I only have Runner Ducks that I was able to pick up directly from a breeder so I knew what they were going in. One of the 6 I picked was pale yellow but I do remember seeing bright yellow ones in the brooder as well with the typical Pekin color which I assume would have turned out pure white. Your babies look bigger than mine did at a few days old so my gut would say maybe pekin. Also, mine were walking upright at least part of the time from day 2. (of course I don't have experience with other breeds to know the difference, but to me the upright stance was apparent from the beginning) Here is a pic of day 10. They were completely upright by then with the typical Runner stance. And the other pic is from around probably 3-4 months old. Yellow baby is it lightest adult duck, the baby on the left is the adult far left, the middle baby is the brown with white one in the front. Now they are all 10 months old and the yellow baby is now a sort of light cream color.

So anyways, my thoughts are that the typical Pekin yellow can also be seen in other breeds, probably anything that can end up white. And also probably that Pekins would tend to be bigger all along the way than some other breeds. I would also think that if a duckling was Runner or part Runner you would see it in their stance very early on.

Hope maybe some of this can help.

I would love to get a couple of Pekins to add to my flock! Ducks are so addicting! Keep us posted on what they turn out to be!!!!