anyone?

[karbear]

Has anyone been out of town for a day and half and left their ducks? Are they okay for this period of time? If I left a few buckets of water? I know it would not kill them but I worry if it is that long...

 

[bt03]

The longest we have left our fatties is 10am on a Saturday till 4pm on Sunday. We have 4 ducks in a pen with 12 chickens and they can go through 8+ gallons of water in a day not to mention about 3+lbs of feed

So I guess it really depends on how may you have and how many hours you will actually be away. And trust me when you come home even if there is feed in the feeder and water in the waterer they will act like they haven't had either for a month and quack at you (I think it is duck for mean words

) Good luck with the ducks and the trip!

 

[duckyfromoz]

I own a block of land 2 hours from where I live and often go on day trips and weekends away up there. I do take some of my ducks up there at times- but the ones left at home are always fine. They used to be left from Friday night til Sunday afternoon and I made sure they had enough food and water left for them. Rather than swimming pools - buckets of water are left so that it will last them longer. These days its only saturday morning til Sunday lunch time- so I do wirry less about them.

 

[YYZ]

Yeah i think a half day is pretty safe for you to leave them...Specially reading the post from "duckyfromOz."

 

[70%cocoa]

I left mine for 24 hours over last weekend - longest stretch so far. I left extra food (2x normal daily amount). They have two water sources in each pen - a tub for swimming and an autowaterer so I know they will not run out of water. When I got home most of the food was still there. Their water was filthy but plentiful. There was poop everywhere too of course (normally they get two hose-outs a day). Partly the reason there was so much poop was that I'd left them a ton of peas and greens - always leads to a lot more poop volume. I let them out to play in a freshly filled kiddie pool while I cleaned the pen and they ran around and splashed like crazy duckies as if they had not seen clear water for a year (rather than 24 hours).

Of course I spent the whole 24 hours expecting to come home to find them dead (totally irrational

but there you go). But they were 100% fine of course. They'd be fine to be left for 2 nights this way too I reckon (despite the poop extravaganza I'd find on my return).

I am going away for a week in August and am planning on having an animal minding service (who I have used before for my chickens) come to clean the pen and re-fill feed, most likely every day. This will cost me but it's not something I could ask a friend to do (too messy).

I am sure that your ducks will be absolutely fine for a day and a half.

 

[ducks_rcool329]

I leave mine fro weekends, and they do okay, just give them as much extra food and water as possible. Don't leave them in the run though.

 

[maralynn28]

I've left mine for 4 days

and they were great (albeit stinky). I thought their house which is meant to lock them overnight would be too small and make them unhappy so I moved their pen into the garage, gave them automated feeder and refilling water that I got from the feed store as well as a kiddie pool. They had run of the whole space but were still kept safe and contained. Oh, also put a window fan in the garage so it wouldn't get stuffy in there.

My husband is military and I am a full time student and we don't know anyone less than 8hrs drive so thought this was the best solution. The ducks were not only fine, but they have claimed that space as theirs now and whenever the garage is left open I always find one resting in the doghouse in there. Ha ha, guess they thought it was mighty comfortable.