Am I overfeeding my ducklings?

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Wow, this is very helpful! Thank you so much! I will start putting some of the chicken food out and see if they like it. I threw the most recent bag out because we transfer and keep the food in air-tight bins, but I have to get more soon anyway and can check what the protein content is. I know this might not mean much, but I remember that when we buy the feed at the farm store, it usually has a variety of birds on the front, so perhaps it is also an All Flock variety. When we bought it, we told the sales guy that it was meant for chickens. Anyway, I have to look that stuff up in German to be sure.

I uploaded two videos of the ducklings to YouTube and am pasting the link here. Do you see the nibbling? I hope that is normal for this breed. If not, please let me know.

(3.5 weeks old)

(5.5 weeks old)

I didnt mean to be a big duck lover, but now I'm totally in love! These bath times were the best!

I finally watched your video. How adorable. I think the one is trying to get the other to move out of it's way. Generally my muscovy take turns bathing. They like to be the only one in the water, especially if the container is smaller.

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

The chickens are wild for dried mehlwörmer, so I always have them around. I just cant buy enough and have seriously considered starting a worm farm in the corner of the yard. The kids would definitely be into it! If it's going to be duck crack (didn't try yet), I might have to seriously think of "worming" or whatever it is called. A tomato half I put out the other day was stolen by some opportunistic chicks. I dont have peas at the moment but will definitely try. The ducks were jumping up and eating the leaves from a young apple tree, some vining herbs, and some grape vine leaves. It appears some low hanging red currants are missing, but I'm not sure it was them. The ducks just appear to be laid back and dont necessarily fight each other or the chickens for their food, but they certainly forage and go after food if it's buzzing around them or at the bottom of the kiddie pool. Salad floating in the pool is a huge hit. They did that for hours today!

I was planning on building a worm-farm for my ducks, the problem is that my wife would not tolerate a »dirty, stinky« worm-farm in the garage and outside it would be almost impossible to protect it from the ducks. Once they figured out what is inside the plastic boxes, they would team up with wild beavers to have them gnaw holes and then they would eat all the worms at once. Plus it will be too cold for a meal-worm farm outside during the winter.

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

I just calculated...the yard is 850 square meters or a bit over 9,100 square feet. I hope that will do. We live next to a farmed field and an EU sponsored nature project that focuses on bringing native species back to the area since many left around WWII and later. We see falcons, kites, and pheasants regularly, and sometimes a fischreiher (grey heron) is lurking around. In the midst of corona a flock of storks (!!!) had breakfast next to the carport...and sometimes wild ducks and pheasants land in the yard and look around, being rather unphased by the rooster and chickens roaming around. I hope that this set of wild birds won't pose a threat to muscovies at night. During the day, the dog does a good job at keeping birds out of her airspace, though they laugh at her from the trees. Any thoughts?

That is a pretty large yard for Germany! - What area are you living? I am from the Rheinland (Köln) but i live in the U.S. for over 10 Years.
You should lock up your birds in a secure house overnight and don't let them stay unprotected. Not worried about the wild animals you have mentioned, but those you haven't seen yet, like foxes, weasels and (maybe) Raccoons. Those critters would love to have a duck for dinner…

 

[CuddleNest]

I was planning on building a worm-farm for my ducks, the problem is that my wife would not tolerate a »dirty, stinky« worm-farm in the garage and outside it would be almost impossible to protect it from the ducks. Once they figured out what is inside the plastic boxes, they would team up with wild beavers to have the gnaw holes and then they would eat all the worms at once. Plus it will be too cold for a meal-worm farm outside during the winter.

Yeah, I looked it again this morning looking at the ducks just so desperately looking for worms. Then, I found that I would have to bring the worms inside in the winter. We have some zealous rats and very crafty wild birds here, and Im not even.sure they would be safe outside in the summer. I suggested we keep them in the häuschen, but that didnt go over well with kids...because, what if they got out and wormed-up the garden furniture or toys??? Ugg..Overall, if I could find a place outside that were safe for at least 6 to 8 months of the year, my kids thought a worm farm would be cool. They also argued that since I have been known to bring the birds, sometimes the whole eglu coop depending on how wild the wind or storm is, into the house, or do "experiments" in the kitchen, or shower with the ducks, there was the chance that the worms wouldnt leave and might take up more space than I promised. So, there was just too much esistance today....I need a plan and maybe I still have a chance to convince them.

Speaking of beavers...someone told me today that there is a creature swimming around with the ducks in the Bonner Rheinaue, coming up and hoping to eat out of your hand. Its apparently called a Water Rat "wasserrate", and they claim its from south america. I looked up a picture and they have a slighlt familiar face of a beaver, teeth and all. I never knew ducks would be friends or in wormy cahoots with beavers or water rodents!

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

My Muscovy aren’t flighty they are very laid back and much like a Pup. They do love their meal worms. Your Muscovy are beautiful!

Your Muscovies are a couple of years old and have settled down. @CuddleNest 's pair is very young and when they discover that the can get airborne when they flap their wings, they will be all over the place. Like when they discover the purpose of the »corkscrew«…

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

Aww thanks, I really have fallen in love with the ducks! I learned so much today, and I had no idea they were Muscovies! Thanks everyone!

I'll keep you posted, if you like, on who they become in the next weeks!

Please! We love to hear duck-stories and see pictures and videos!

 

[CuddleNest]

That is a pretty large yard for Germany! - What area are you living? I am from the Rheinland (Köln) but i live in the U.S. for over 10 Years.
You should lock up your birds in a secure house overnight and don't let them stay unprotected. Not worried about the wild animals you have mentioned, but those you haven't seen yet, like foxes, weasels and (maybe) Raccoons. Those critters would love to have a duck for dinner…

I was just going to ask you that. A marder just caused my neighbor (same duck family!) over 500 euros in engine damage..and she saw one in her yard sniffing out the geese and ducks (her chickens dont free range). Ive seen a fox next to the carport..maybe last year. Dog scared it off. But its the marder (martin/weasles) that worry me. Ill show you a picture of the coop they are sleeping in right now. We are in St. Augustin....Im originally from PA but have also been here over 10 years.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Hardware cloth is the only material that will keep out predators chicken fencing only keeps the birds in no predators out.

 

[CuddleNest]

Here is the chicken, er, duck sleeping house (repurposed chicken coop with a flat piece of plastic inside to block out the roosting bars, straw, and water dish). Ugh, the chickens dont want to go to bed...darn late german sunsets! It's almost 10pm!
ive read that racoons could open an eglu coop by pulling up this black thing, but we dont have racoons here, I think.

 

[CuddleNest]

Your Muscovies are a couple of years old and have settled down. @CuddleNest 's pair is very young and when they discover that the can get airborne when they flap their wings, they will be all over the place. Like when they discover the purpose of the »corkscrew«…

Oh my...well....two sides of the yard are fields, mainly blocked by a talls hedge, and my direct neighbor would love if a few ducks flew in. The front where the street is would prove overly challenging to fly to....although...just last week a passerby rang my doorbell to tell me that there were 2 ducklings in my driveway. I heard the chirping im my office but thought they were on the inside. They had squeezed, or rather flattened, themselves under the carport fence to reach the driveway!!! So scary and so thankful that she told me! So, there is one spot in the yard that the ducks could easily fly out of. Otherwise we have at 12+ foot hedge and trees in front of a chainlink fence. Last year a new chicken suddenly discovered its wings and escaped in the hedgeless zone. An araucaner took to flight right over the chainlink fence and in front of a tractor that was tending the fields. Luckily, my partner ran down there, headfirst over the fence, and she flew back toward him..both survived. Also, that farmer has about 300 chickens over at his place. I think he has a soft spot for chickens. His girlfriend confided in me last weekend that she is actually a duck lady, so Ill have to warn them that these might actually be muscovies. She had "laufenten" which I assume are runners. This year, the farmer planted corn, so it would be hard to see some confused ducks if the ducks flew out on harvest day. Thanks for the tip...had no idea they would be such grear flyers. Their wings look so iddy biddy compared to their bodies!