Any crazies out there like me with a diapered duck in the house?

[mynameisjustjen]

Thanks for all the responses!

Amiga- I want some larger numbers of ducks outside too. I am trying to start a small farm of "Heritage Breed" egg layers in Georgia. I am funding my project on Kickstarter and will post it soon!

token13- Token is sweet! The Cayuga is one of the first ducks I would like to get. Be looking for the black egg. I heard they will sometimes produce one early. Keep us posted! Missy started nesting right as she started laying. She scratches around for hours in her canvas carrier we provide her in the bedroom when we sleep.

myfeatheredfriends- How often does Abbey lay?

zedaroo-What precious and beautiful ducks. They look like they have a good personality. Is the female loud?

starbird-no kids for me! It is harder than children I believe.

canard- http://www.flightquarters.com/bird-diapers/category/duck-goose-diapers.html We ordered Missy's diaper online. The link I copied got good reviews and it arrived quick. I wish we had ordered more than one. They need to be cleaned a lot but dry fairly quickly if rung out in a towel. You will be changing it every 2-3 hours as well. Yes, it is a labor of love!
She does cuddle occasionally. Because she grew up wild with a flock she has become more affectionate since she left. She likes to sleep right on my chest, but would go and plop down right next to my head if she could. In the past when I owned an exotic parrot they say letting them perch near your head or above you is a dominance game. So I keep her off my pillow. Good luck to you!






Missy was one of 8 ducks I helped raise this past summer. They all migrated but a her. She must have liked the handouts! She still takes full flight around but stays in the yard, when before with all her flock, she was just a speck in the sky sometimes. It is so moving to watch her fly.

Humans are now her flock. The diaper is a labor of love and it is only for the true duck lover. She has about four sounds she makes to describe herself, and is quite needy.

I am surprised with her egg laying ability. I was under the impression Mallards don't lay as well as the "Heritage Breeds". Maybe she is just an exceptionally happy duck!

 

[token13]

They're all so cute! and yes I am waiting on that black egg, it's going to be gorgeous. She likes being inside with us and is the perfect little model

Canard- I got my diaper from partyfowl, etsy. But it took a while to get here, the quality is good but i also wish I had looked around a bit more. Feathered fashions has really cute stuff and reasonable prices too. Since Tokens diaper took a while to get here, I had already figured out how to make them myself by the time it did. But it worked out, now she has about 4 diapers lol

 

[canard]

Thanks for the good info, token13.

 

[dukabird]

Duka is my 10y/o house duck

 

[Diamond88]

You are not at all alone in having a diapered indoor duck! There are quite a few of us around.

All of your ducks are so adorable!

Here are some photos of Bunny, throughout the past nearly two years. Not only is she a pampered indoor duck, but she's well traveled. Hatched in Raleigh, NC, then moved to the Chicago suburbs to a few different houses, then out to Long Beach, CA, and back to the Chicago suburbs after, sadly, her "daddy" and I split up. But she's doing very well back here, and I can't believe how seamlessly she's adapted to the changes!

 

[dukabird]

Awwww it made me so happy to see some snuggled up with their indoor ducks! Diamond - what type of duck is Bunny? She's gorgeous!

More of Duka. I'm obsessed

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[pinusresinosa]

These are too cute, love the house ducks!

 

[canard]

Everyone's pictures are so cute!!!!!!

I bet most of you are like me and your friends and family just don't get how pet-like ducks can be. There is this connection much like dog to man no one but other duck owners seems to see or believe.

Diamond88.... Your snuggly duck pictures are adorable!

Zeddaroo... Your runners are so cute! Your lavender runner is so beautiful!

 

[mynameisjustjen]

dukabird. What a handsome boy Duka is! And did you say 10y/o, you typed that right, 10 year old Mallard!? Everything I have read about Mallards is incorrect. I thought we only had 2-5 years with Missy. I am STOKED!

So..... you are a veteran of duck diaper changes! I hope you can share some tips. Lets talk about the dreaded dark poop. There seems to be quite a fluctuation in colors, smell, and dare I say....texture to her poopies throughout the day?? I thought it might be only happening when we would let her free graze in the yard, but that is not the cause of the infrequent dark goo in her diaper. Its seems to just be a vicious cycle you have to just tolerate. Please say it isn't so and can be regulated with a miracle diet of some kind.

Missy is worth every diaper change, don't get me wrong, but I hope you, OR ANYONE could share some of your knowledge. And more pics of that handsome boy duka. Are his feathers turning a little grey in his old age?



Spoiled rotten in her playpen outside.



Her nest in the house. She loves her canvas crate! She works hard and tugs on the seams all morning making her "nest".

 

[dukabird]

Missy is a gorgeous girl! And yep, my guy is 10 years old! I can't believe it either. His vet told me the oldest mallard he'd seen was 18! Fingers crossed for both Duka and Missy!

Poop. I know exactly the stinky tar-like nastiness you're referring to! It does seem to depend on diet. Duka eats a ton of organic mixed greens (spring mix, baby lettuces), veggies and fruit. He loves cat food (dry), but I try to minimize it to avoid too much protein. He had always refused duck feed until recently! A couple weeks ago I decided to try again, and he gobbled it up..... Had a blast vacuuming it up when it sunk to the bottom of the tub/kiddie pool. His poop is now more solid, light colored and less stinky! An occasional black splat will still come, but it's much improved. I definitely recommend trying duck feed (and tons of variety in terms of greens - it's clearly kept my baby healthy for a long time!!)

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