1st time duck mom needs HELP

[kycowgirl78]

I recently purchased some baby ducks, first some white peking, then later some variety. My pekings are about a month old now and are getting good size. I have been putting them outside during the day when it's nice and even letting them play in a pool. I still bring them in every night to the laundry room and as they grow the cage gets smaller and smaller.
Question 1: At what age can the ducks be left outside full time? Night time temp still isn't staying about low 50s and I don't want them to get too cold.
Question 2: Years ago when my fiancee's family used to have baby ducks, they mother would take them into the pond at just a few days old and they would be eaten by turtles in the first few days. How old should the ducks be before I can feel comfortable about releasing them into our pond without them becoming some stupid turtle's lunch?

Question 3: My younger ducks: anconas, khaki campbell and rouen are just a week old so I know they still need a heat lamp. At what age should I set these smaller ducks outside in warm and sunny weather?

Any advise would be greatly appreciated. I've searched Google over and over and can't get any straight answers. Mostly just a bunch of book nerds that read something somewhere or somebody who heard something from someone and no one is really sure. Then it dawned on me to ask my BYC friends who were duck moms themselves for help. Can't believe I didn't think of that before!

So if there's any duck parents out there who have some good solid advice about these issues, PLEASE help me.
Thanks

 

[crazy cat lady]

First of all, I think the older ducks would be ok outside if you have a shelter of sort for them to go into with a door you can close and lock to keep predators from killing and eating your pekins. I would put a lamp in there too for some heat, otherwise if not too cold at night they should be okay.

#2: I don't know the answer to that one.

#3: You can let your younger ducks outside during theday as long as it is warm enough for them. Otherwise I would wait for a week or two. Then I would still bring them in at night also.

I have baby ducklings myself (3-4 weeks old) that I still have in the brooder in my basement. Getting ready to put them outside with the rouen ducklings that are about 6 weeks old. I will need to put a wire fence to separate them until they are used to being with each other again.

 

[goosedragon]

#2 if you have a good sized Snapper even your adult ducks are at risk. A lot of ducks that "just disappear" are dragged under by turtles. Check your local hunting fishing rules, in some locations even these mean varmits are protected or have closed seasons. If they sun themselves on logs etc shooting can be an answer. more are taken by trot line fishing methods to be pulled from the water to be killed. Big Bass will often take ducklings to but usually leave adults alone.

 

[kycowgirl78]

I don't actually see any of the turtles so I have no idea what they are or how big they are. There is one lone rouen duck, full grown, that has been a resident of the pond for years now so I'm thinking it might now be big enough to take down a full grown duck, just didn't want it getting my ducklings. I'm so paranoid about it I'll probably wait until the ducks are full grown to let them into the pond.

My fiancee will be having a fit. He already complains about them being in the house because they do smell. But right now I don't have any outdoor enclosures I could even run a lamp to so I suppose they'll just have to keep coming in for a while. Temps supposed to be in the 70s this weekend, will be a good day for the pekings to swim in their pool and the smaller ducks to sunbathe.

Thanks for the help, anyone else?

 

[denimeggs]

We're in N GA and our ducklings stay outside in their pen (with hutch which they refuse to use) at night already. Your temps are probably not much cooler than ours. They are about three weeks old now and have been out there a week and a half.