Baby Duck raising?

[YoungChickenFan]

Hi!
We are thinking about getting some pet ducks and we have found a place that sells them very young (1-2 days old) and I was wondering if they are a lot of work when they are young because I have things like school so I won't be able to take care of it during the most of the day. I understand they need a heat lamp and company but what else will I need or should I be looking to source and older duck or two? I just want to make sure they are healthy and happy but I know they will need extra care if they are little.
Thanks
YoungChicken(and duck)Fan

 

[DeannaMari]

Hello, so I may be able to help you out here, last year I got 6 baby ducks and I was in my senior year of high school, so I can relate to you on the amount of time, and I can give some advice on how my daily schedule was around ducks so you have some ideas.

Of course, it helps to have people in the family who are home at different times and willing to look after your ducks, sometimes my mom (who woke up earlier than me) would give them some water if she noticed they were out, ect, but you can do it!

My normal day:
I woke up at around 7:30 for school, and before anything, I would go check on the ducks, fill up their water and mix in their niacin supplement. (I ordered a 1lb bag of it off of amazon, and I don't remember the exact amounts, but I believe it was something like 1 teaspoon to each gallon that I ended up putting in.) I just would also make sure that their food was full, we just fed our unmediated chick feed, but you can also feed a general flock raiser if you wanted to. That would pretty much be it in the morning, I would maybe pick them up and snuggle them for a few minutes or something, but I didn't have a lot of time in the morning so I just made sure they had food and water. We just used a plastic chick water and a chick feeder tray a plastic one with the top off of it so they could get their bills in. We had a planter bottom, the things that go underneath pots in order to catch extra water from planters, and I placed that underneath the waterer for the ducks, and it helped keep their brooder pretty clean.

After school 3x a week I would replace their bedding. We used some pellet bedding, and it seemed to work good, but with all the moisture it would break up easily. I remember one day the bottom of the water feel off once I had just replaced their bedding. It sucked. Usually I would clean out their cage while my sister would watch them play around in the bath tub with only about 1-2 inches of water. I would put little bricks in the tub and fill it up so it just went over the bricks, so the ducks could swim around and if they got tired they could swim to the bricks and stand on them. Ducks can swim right after their born, just make sure to keep them nice and dry before placing them back in the brooder. We would take small old towels and dry off each duckling until it was just a little damp, then place them in the brooder, and they could all snuggle under the heat lamp. We could watch them for the next 20 minutes to make sure they looked like they were drying off and if they weren't, I would grab a towel, sometimes I would microwave it for a few seconds, so it'd be warm, and hold the baby it in until it seemed to be doing better, than put it in the brooder. WE NEVER LOST ANY DUCKLINGS! I ended up with a total of about 20 ducks at the end, and we never lost a single one. We only lost 2 ducks, one that got very sick randomly, and died the next morning, and one that got attacked by a dog. But other than that, all of our ducks were happy and healthy. As for the sick one, I would just recommend to you to keep some carbon with you, it can be purchased at any vitamin store. Even Walmart will sell it, it flushes the system and people use it a lot of they get drunk, because it flushes everything out, but just keep it on you just in case for the ducks, if they get sick, separate them and put a little bit in their water, and make sure they drink. It should flush them, sadly though, if a duck is showing signs of being ill, it is usually just too far gone. Ducks are very easy to care for, and since they are prey animals they usually don't show they are sick until they are about to die anyway.

But back to the positives. Once a week I would completely clean their brooder, usually Sunday. I would clean out all the bedding, and the waterer and I would use a vinegar water solution to spray down the interior, and it would sanitize everything. Usually on this days I would let them play outside for a few hours once they were 4 weeks old, if it is warm enough in your area and you have a good area for them to play in. Something like a little cage people use for dogs outside would work, with something inside it for shade for them. They would love to run around.

Overall the ducks took probably 40 minutes out of my week, maybe a little more. They were super easy to care for, and worth it, they all have amazing personalities. Our sweetest ones were our Muscovies, so if you can get those, they are really good pets, and they can look after themselves really well once they get older, so they are a good bet.

As for the care goes, make sure your brooder is big enough. I wouldn't recommend using wood, depending on your bedding and set up, just because if the ducks get it wet, it could be a problem. With that being said, if you are going to use wood, or really for whatever style you decide to use, I would suggest going with a baking sheet, covered with a cake cooling rack (with very small slits so they don't get their little feet caught in it) and put the water over that, so they don't splash it all over their cage, because they will play in it. The water needs to be deep enough that they can get their whole beak in it, because they clean their noses and eyes with it. If they aren't able to, they will get sick. Also make sure their food is away from their water so they don't get water all over it and it will start to mold, then provide a heat lamp in one area of the cage, preferably away from the water. Make sure the temperature is warm enough for them, as for you to know how warm is warm enough, there are particular temperatures, but mostly, it's just watching your ducklings, because it all depends on how many you have, how big the space is, how warm the room they are in is, ect. So just set up a heat lamp, and if they are all crowding under it, it needs to be warmer, if they aren't going under it at all, it needs to be cooler. They'll show you what they need. Just make sure they always have water, food, and heat. And, it is always nice to give them a toy or something. Depending on how many you get, it is nice to give them a stuff animal, I would suggest getting 2 at least if you aren't going to have a bunch of time for them, that way they can keep each other company. Maybe a few nights before you get them, sleep with a little dollar stuff animal, then put it in their brooder for them so it smells like you, it will help them bond.

Well, that was a long post, but I hope it answers your questions. If you have anymore, let me know. I wasn't a super experienced duck owner, but I did a lot of research.

 

[YoungChickenFan]

Thank you so much for taking time to write that ! It was VERY helpful! I am thinking about getting two ducklings just before school holidays so I can care for them during the day when they are at their youngest. But sadly no one will be at home except when my mom has her day off, so I'll have to make sue they have sufficient water for the day until I get home. Thanks again and I'll let you know if I have anymore questions!

 

[DeannaMari]

Ok, I would suggest looking at some of the inventions people have made for automatic waters and seeing if you could incorporate it into you coop.

 

[YoungChickenFan]

Yeah that is what I was thinking.
Do you know if I got two ducklings, one a Pekin and one a Khaki Campbell, would they get along if they were raised together or should I get two of one breed. I think the Pekin Ducks get larger but I am wondering if that will effect its behaviour towards the other.
Thanks.

 

[DeannaMari]

They are both pretty mellow breeds. I had one pekin, one crested, one buff, two kakhis, one spotted, I forget what it was called, but I brooded all of those together, and they did find. Just make sure you get them at the same age, the pekin will be larger, but if they are both 1-2 days old it shouldn't be a huge problem as long as you have enough room for both of them.

 

[YoungChickenFan]

Thank you! The livestock supplier in my area does sell them at the same age.

 

[DeannaMari]

Then you should be set. Even if they are a few days apart you'll be ok. But if you get one a little older than the other, make sure it's the Khaki that's older. They grow super fast, I'm sure you'll see, and one week is a huge difference, especially when you're already talking about a pekin!